New Theatre Expected To Be Opened Next Month

- Kapati Observer

Wizard Sales for Potter finale

Thousands of Manawatu cinema-goers flocked to the final Harry Potter movie at the weekend, making it the most successful film opening in Palmerston North this year. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 has smashed worldwide opening weekend records by raking in US$475.6 million ($563.4m) between Friday and Sunday.

New Zealand crowds were also keen to see the boy wizard's final outing with $2.9 million raked in at our theatres, the biggest weekend of any movie. Downtown Cinemas manager Paul Wood said 4600 tickets were sold for 3D and 2D screenings in Palmerston North between Thursday and Sunday. Mr Wood did not want to disclose the monetary figures, but estimations would put the takings in the tens of thousands.

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon had previously been the biggest opening film in Palmerston North, but had been overtaken by The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, he said.

"It was the biggest weekend this year. We're ahead of where we were with Transformers 3. I'm very happy with it and I think it will keep performing throughout the school holidays and after that." Individually, The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was more popular than Transformers 3, but Mr Wood said the cinema sold more total tickets during the Transformers opening weekend because of the other films on offer.

Critics have been generally positive about the film, including Manawatu Standard reviewer Katy Breheny, who described it as a "journey of epic proportions". "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 continues to work the saga's breathtaking magic, this time with a do-or-die dimension that keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat," she said. Also impressed was long-time Potter fan and magazine editor Susie Johnson, who braved the weekend crowds to see it.

"I think it's the best of the Harry Potter movies. It's obviously very dark and it's in line with the way the books have gone. It's also been blessed with a star-studded cast." But she was less impressed with the ending, in which some characters were made to look older. "They still looked like they were in their 20s and they had kids who were too old. It was really laughable." - Manawatu Evening Stanadard dated 19 July, 2011

Cinema comeback at Coastlands Mall

- Kapiti Observer

Former CEO of Downtown Cinemas, Palmerston North - Garrett's career in movies recognised

The voice of Palmerston North's Downtown Cinemas has been honoured for his lifetime of service to New Zealand's cinema industry. Former Downtown Cinemas chief executive John Garrett, who stepped down from the position last year, was awarded a 50-year service award at the New Zealand Motion Picture Industry Council conference in Auckland on Wednesday.

"It was a conference that was run for cinema owners and film distributors," he said. "I had an inkling that possibly they were going to do it. It's very nice. I'm quite chuffed."

Mr Garrett's voice is well known in Palmerston North because of the `no txtn, no talkn' advertisements that play before Downtown Cinemas' films. His first job in the cinema industry was in 1960 when as a 16-year-old he started wrapping movie posters for 20th Century Fox.

He then moved onto movie sales jobs with MGM, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and Columbia-Warner, before running cinemas in Dunedin and Auckland.

Mr Garrett started working at Downtown Cinemas when it opened in 1990 and still works there now in a part-time film purchasing role. He said his award from the council may be among the first of its kind. "It's not something that happens very much these days because people do change industries so quickly."

During the three-day conference in Auckland, Mr Garrett saw previews for upcoming films, including the Arthur remake and the final Harry Potter film. And while his part time job of previewing films may not seem like a leisurely time for most, he said he was enjoying semi-retirement away from the movie industry. "It's bloody good actually, but I'll tell you what, it hasn't improved my golf game." - Manawatu Standard

Hokitika Regent Theatre rebuild recognised

Those responsible for the resurgence of the Hokitika Regent Theatre as one of the main community focal points of the town have been rewarded for their dedication and hard work, with recognition from the Westland District Council.

It yesterday named the Westland Community Centre as the Organisation of the Year, and its chairman Bruce Watson as Westland District Person of the Year for their work in saving the theatre.

Mr Watson said both awards had only been made possible with a lot of help from a lot of people. “Everyone from businesses to cleaners and caterers deserves acknowledgment,” he said. “It has been a privilege to collaborate on what has been an intense and complex part of my life over the past three years.”
Westland Community Centre vice-president Andrea Jackson said the response to some of the movies that had been shown following the redevelopment had taken everyone by surprise.
“It has more than exceeded expectations, we have had more than 5000 people through the turnstyles — that’s more than the whole population of Hokitika.”

By Andrew Ashton - Greymouth Evening Star newspaper

Screen Vistas Supports Wakatipu High School

Wakatipu High School pupils have written, filmed and produced an advertisement on youth binge drinking to be shown before movies at Reading Cinemas Queenstown, for three months from the start of next year. From storyboarding to the final cut, 31 pupils have worked for six months to create the awareness advertisement, which will show before movies rated M - suitable for mature persons over 16 - and above.

Costing $5000 to produce and screen, the advertisement has been funded by the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand and the Central Lakes Arts Support Scheme. Reading Cinemas Queenstown cinema complex manager Rebekah Moore said the advertisement had been taken on free of charge as a mark of the business's support for the Queenstown Community.

It has yet to be officially rated by the Screen Vistas Advertising Company, but it is likely to be aired shortly after the Christmas holidays. Behind-the-scenes footage and the 42sec advertisement, were unveiled at an official cinema screening last night for members of the cast and crew, Wakatipu High School staff and board members, and the Youth Access To Alcohol (YATA) committee.

Working with YATA, a Queenstown alcohol awareness committee, 12 senior pupils came up with the concept, created the storyboard, scene script, dialogue script and organised the 19-strong cast.

Jan Maxwell, YATA committee member said a previous binge drinking awareness advertisement was produced by pupils at Wanaka's Mount Aspiring College five years ago, but the YATA committee decided it was time for a revamp. ''We decided we needed a renewal of an existing advertisement, so we took the idea to pupils at Wakatipu High School and the result they came back with was just outstanding,'' she said. Award-winning artist and illustrator, Spike Wademan visited the pupils for a day to help with the storyboarding process.

Mrs Maxwell said the inherent dangers of binge drinking were something all young people needed to be aware of, and the message in the advertisement was as much for Wakatipu parents, as it was for their children. She said the use of a mildly offensive word in the advertisement would most likely warrant an M rating.

''Reading and Screen Vistas have just been amazingly helpful through the whole process ... the message isn't really a necessity for younger children, so a 16-plus rating is fine with us,'' she said. The production, which took two full days to film, follows the story of a drunken male youth encouraged by friends to approach a female at a party.

Before the male is able speak, he vomits on the girl and falls to the ground, injuring his head. The advertisement finishes with the message ''drink responsibly''. The pupil's parents and the YATA board of trustees were shown an earlier screening to make sure no-one found it offensive, Mrs Maxwell said. She said it was too early to determine whether the advertisement would be screened nationally.

By Naeem Alvi on Friday 3rd December 2010, Otago Daily Times.