Imax profit falls to $6.3 mil

Imax internet profit stepped last quarter to $6.3 million from $54 million, totally on a significant tax benefit the prior year. Revenue reduced to $67 million from $69 million.Backing the tax item yet others, net gain fell to $9 million from $14 million. Which was consistent with Wall Street anticipation because of the quarter's soft box office.Company stated 2011 would be a year of record signings and installations with 497 Imax theaters set up in commercial multiplexes, up 33%, driven by China, Russia and The United States. This Year, Boss Wealthy Gelfond stated the organization will concentrate on South Usa, including four new theaters in South america, The European Union and India, in which a recent deal brings Bollywood game titles to Imax.The 2009 week, Imax named London-based Andrew Cripps, prexy of Vital Pictures Worldwide, to supervise the rollout in Europe, the center East and Africa.4th quarter's film highlight was the December early discharge of Paramount's ''Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol,'' with moments shot using Imax cameras. 5-day window when Imax had the pic to itself assisted ''helped result in its status because the must-see film from the holidays,'' stated Gelfond.Individually Thursday, Albert R. Broccoli's EON Productions, MGM and The new sony Pictures Entertainment introduced the next Mission Impossible pic ''Skyfall'' is going to be launched in Imax theaters concurrently using its worldwide release March. 26, and it is domestic release on November. 9. It will likely be the very first Imax installment from the franchise.Imax stated it signed contracts for 209 theater systems this past year, including 26 within the 4th quarter, and installed 170 systems -- 57 for that quarter. At year finish, there have been 263 theater systems in backlog. The organization needs to set up 95 to 100 new theater systems this year, 45-50 under revenue discussing pacts contributing to 50 under sales plans.''Overall, 2011 was highly productive from the proper perspective,'' Gelfond stated, and that is transported into 2012 ''as the current WTO agreement with China, highlighting IMAX, should enhance programming versatility within our greatest worldwide market.''''We believe we're positioning ourselves for financial and proper success, through our ongoing concentrate on differentiation, performing on network growth, and developing a compelling film slate,'' he stated.The 2012 selection is moored by key franchise game titles including ''The Dark Dark night Increases,'' that will feature more footage shot in IMAX than any feature film up to now ''The Avengers,'' ''Men in Black 3,'' ''The Amazing Spider-Guy,'' ''The Hobbit: An Unpredicted Journey'' and ''Skyfall.'' Gelfond stated Imax also intends to expand local film releases. It has been been active in China and can transfer to Russia and France. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Oscars 2012: Why 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' Deserved A Best Picture Jerk

Nine films are nominated for top Picture within the Academy awards this year, pleading the question: who deserved a tenth perfect that list? "Oscars 2012: 10 Place" solutions that question, since the MTV Movies team highlights numerous 2011's finest films and argues why they deserved a jerk since the tenth Best Picture nominee. "Mess Tailor Soldier Spy" deserved the tenth place inside the Best Picture category for reasons situated both in quality and politics. Many Oscar experts reasoned the Tomas Alfredson film could accomplish an unpredicted nomination using the prominence in the British contingent within the Movie Academy of Arts and Sciences, a sizable aspect in last year's win for "The King's Speech," but that was not the problem. The spy story, using the novel by John le Carr, remains loved inside the Uk since its release as well as the famous miniseries adaptation starring Alec Guinness, so coming back to "Mess Tailor Soldier Spy" round the silver screen incorporated challenges already built-in. What Alfredson shipped was an aesthetically beautiful, cold and awesome suspense thriller that were living around the legacy set by all of the previous iterations. He most certainly had the assistance of Gary Oldman, who completed work performance since the subdued but exacting George Smiley, the man designated with obtaining a Soviet mole in British intelligence. In the section of safe, easily available Best Picture nominees ("Tree of Existence" being the welcome exception), the deliberately confusing structure of "Mess Tailor" may have aided the Academy safeguard against accusations of simply taking Oscar bait. The conventional is obviously there, as apparent with the Modified Script nomination for Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan, as well as the star-studded ensemble added a cool reality to each quietly tense scene. Sadly, the Academy went the road a vast amount of safer picks, at the same time passing over more difficult and fascinating pictures which "Mess Tailor" is unquestionably an example. The MTV Movies team gets the 2012 Oscars covered! Stay with us for all that you should know just before the honours show, and also on Sunday, February 25, tune into MTV.com at 5:30 p.m. ET for that three-hour red-colored-colored-carpet live stream and updates round the night's large individuals who win.

Pyramide scoops Avila's 'Infancia'

MADRID -- One of the biggest standouts at December's Ventana Sur, Benjamin Avila's first fiction feature "Infancia clandestina" has closed French and international distribution rights with Pyramide. In pre-sales with other top-notch arthouse players, Wanda Films has acquired "Infancia" for Spain, Imovision for Brazil. A prize-winner at San Sebastian's Films in Progress, "Infancia" was showcased privately -- much tightened but still in rough-cut -- at December's Ventana Sur. Lead-produced by Luis Puenzo's Historias Cinematograficas, it delivers an original take on Argentina's 1976-1983 Dirty War, portraying the warm family life of two resistance fighters, as seen by their 12-year-old son. "Infancia's" knowing details and humor draw on Avila's personal memories. Pyramide was always a frontrunner to tie down "Infancia." It moved swiftly at 2009's Ventana Sur to buy "Leap Year," which subsequently won Cannes' Camera d'Or and sold 25 territories. At Berlin, Pyramide will also sell Frederic Videau's Competition contender "Coming Home," a drama about a released kidnap victim. In another highlight, Pyramide has taken international on 19th-century father-son drama "Gebo and the Shadow," from 103-year-old Portuguese master Manoel de Oliveira. Michael Lonsdale, Claudia Cardinale, Ricardo Trepa and Jeanne Moreau star. "Clandestina's" double deal with Pyramide comes as, after eight years at Pyramide Intl., sales head Yoann Ubermulhin has announced that he will step down after Berlin to join French Sofica film tax vehicle Indefilms. Mexican-born Lucero Garzon, a Pyramide Intl. sales exec since 2009, overseeing, among territories, Benelux, Switzerland, Spain and Latin America, is promoted to head of sales. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

New image arrives from The Hunger Games

The March release date of The Hunger Games grows steadily closer, and new images continue to appear online of Jennifer Lawrence and friends.This latest image shows Lawrence's character Katniss sharing an embrace with Lenny Kravitz's Cinna, who becomes something of a confidante and source of encouragement in the final build-up to the Games.The new image appeared in the pages of Rolling Stone, to whom Kravitz gave an accompanying interview describing what attracted him to the project."I thought it was really good storytelling," he explained. "I'm very much into stories. The character was interesting. I like [director] Gary [Ross]'s previous work. And I said, 'Yeah, let's go.'"And as for his character, Kravitz was impressed by his poise and sense of gravitas. "He's very streamlined, he's very quiet," he says. "He knows what he's doing. He's confident. He's got a big heart. I just liked the way he moved, very smooth."The Hunger Games opens in the UK on 23 March 2012.