IBM India inks pact with Mexican multiplex

October 8th, 2009 MEXICO CITY - The government of Mexican state of Puebla has refused to fund the film version of Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel "Memories of My Melancholy Whores" after a complaint was filed by a coalition alleging that the movie would promote child prostitution, a state government report said. The report said "that it will not support the project or the filming of the movie." The Mexico-based Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and Girls in Latin America and the Caribbean announced Tuesday that it has filed a complaint "against whomever is responsible for acts that could be constituted as the crime of condoning child prostitution and the corruption of minors", the report added.

October 8th, 2009 PANAJI - The India premiere of Oscar Award winner Ang Lee directed Hollywood film "Taking Woodstock" was held at a multiplex in Goa. The premiere of the film was held at the Inox multiplex Wednesday.

September 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - They introduced the multiplex concept in India in 1997 and now when other players are increasingly entering the market, Sanjeev Bijli, joint managing director of PVR Ltd, maintains that competition does not bog them down as they always strive to do something different. "Every industry has competition, similarly in our industry too, but we are not scared of it.

August 20th, 2009 LONDON - "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria Parker is to celebrate her Latina roots with her first Spanish speaking film role. The actress, who was born in Texas to Mexican-American parents, will star in new Mexican movie "Day Of Grace", which focuses on a kidnap plot, reports imdb.com.

August 12th, 2009 MUMBAI - Mumbai will have to wait. With Maharashtra in the grip of swine flu and the country's entertainment capital's malls and multiplexes shut down for three days, much awaited films such as "Kaminey" and "Life Partner" will give the city a miss as these are released worldwide.

June 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A slew of Bollywood biggies are lined up for release with the row between producers and multiplex owners having ended. Multiplex owners are now doing a re-think on whether to go ahead with the proposed screening of T20 World Cup matches, especially after the "exorbitant" fees for telecast rights.

June 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The two-month-long standoff between the producers-distributors and multiplex owners over revenue sharing, which was resolved Friday, has led to a whopping Rs.300 crore (Rs.3 billion) loss to the industry. The strike has cost the Indian film industry over Rs.3 billion, Mukesh Bhatt, United Producers and Distributors Forum (UPDF) chairman, told IANS over phone from Mumbai Friday.

June 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - After two months of empty seats and no-shows at ticket counters, multiplex owners are happy their stand-off with the producers-distributors over revenue sharing ended Friday. They are content with the solution arrived at.

June 5th, 2009 MUMBAI - The row between Bollywood producers and multiplex owners over revenue sharing came to an end as the two parties reached a deal here early Friday, industry sources said. After about four months of negotiations, the two parties reached a consensus over the rationalisation of revenue sharing for forthcoming films, the sources said.

June 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Tom Hanks-starrer "Angels and Demons", which released in India Friday mostly across single-screens has grossed around Rs.19 million in its first weekend. The movie that has already gained the top spot at the US box office released in India with 133 prints across 135 screens in four languages - English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu - mainly in single-screens across the country.

May 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Big Cinemas, a subsidiary of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG), will launch its first multiplex in Chicago Friday. Called Big Cinemas-Golf Glen, the multiplex will have five screens and one premium lounge and will be digitally connected to Adlabs India, enabling the films to be transported on fibre optic cable within four-six hours instead of using physical film prints, said a press release.

May 24th, 2009 CANNES - Indian movie buffs could soon have a slew of British films to choose from at multiplexes in their neighbourhoods. The UK Film Council has drawn up an ambitious plan to digitally distribute British-made films, both contemporary and classic, across major Indian cities.

May 23rd, 2009 MUMBAI - It's not just fame that "Kites" has brought to Mexican actress Barbara Mori. She has also learnt English while shooting for the romantic-action thriller and it was none other than co-star Hrithik Roshan who turned teacher on the sets.

May 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - At a time when Indian multiplexes are going through a dry spell following a tussle with film producers, the world's fifth largest multiplex chain has announced its foray into India with 110 screens across eight cities. Cinepolis, the largest multiplex chain outside the US, will build the first set of theatres in India in the second half of 2009.

May 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A Bollywood film producers and multiplex owners meeting Tuesday ended in a deadlock over revenue sharing row. The two parties failed to reach a mutual understanding over the rationalisation of revenue sharing of films, according to industry insiders.