Revival screenings thrive despite streaming
Despite the ease of streaming films on services such as Netflix and Hulu and the prevalence of home video libraries, with films available on DVD and Blu-ray, catching an older film on the big screen remains a popular pursuit.
And it鈥檚 not just at revival houses in bigger cities: The Michael Jordan/animated classic 鈥淪pace Jam鈥� received a two-day nationwide rerelease on Nov. 13 and 16 in celebration of its 20th anniversary.聽
After Prince died unexpectedly in late April, AMC Theatres did a limited run of the music icon鈥檚 1984 鈥淧urple Rain鈥� motion picture debut at 87 of its multiplexes.
Movie studios digitally restore the films prior to their rerelease on video, so exhibitors can usually show versions of classics that are more vibrant than the prints that were originally screened.
鈥淭here is a niche 鈥� but it鈥檚 a broad niche 鈥� of cinephiles who are willing and able to see these films in the best shape that they鈥檝e been able to,鈥� Tom Lucas, vice president of Studio Relations at Fathom Events, says.
Founded in 2002 and based in a suburb of Denver, Fathom Events is a distributor of self-described 鈥渃inematic events鈥� such as live opera, theater, and music performances; BBC television programs, including 鈥淪herlock鈥� and 鈥淒r. Who鈥�; and faith-based films. Theatrical rereleases of feature films constitute about 20 percent of its offerings.
鈥淧eople come out in the hundreds of thousands to celebrate key anniversaries and see restored or remastered films,鈥� says John Rubey, chief executive officer of Fathom Events. 鈥淭his despite the fact that they already own what they鈥檙e seeing on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and through Vudu or UltraViolet.聽
鈥淭he big screen just can鈥檛 be replicated,鈥� Mr. Lucas adds.
While advancements in consumer video and audio equipment make the at-home experience more comparable to the cinematic one, the communal aspect continues to be appealing to fans. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e got to see it with everyone else,鈥� Mr. Rubey notes.
Social media has helped to foster the mini-revival trend. Trailers for the rereleases are uploaded online (as well as played in movie theaters) and shared among friends and followers.
鈥淎s a business, Fathom would not exist on the scale that we do without that,鈥� Rubey says. 鈥淭railers create new awareness, and social media allows everyone to share and engage.鈥�
