The Front Page: May 8, 2008

By Randee Dawn

So, you know, another late night out here in THR's New York outpost: Disney threw its "Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" premiere with a suitably lavish party at the New York Public Library, and things got ... well, they got late. No absinthe this time (that wouldn't be very Disney) but let's just say there were ... shh ... arts 'n crafts involved. Also, I learned that unless you nail down the centerpieces people will actually walk out the door with them. Hope those armored prop helmets didn't have to be returned....

But no Narnia yet in the news; it's still all "Iron Man," all the time, and of course, how "Iron Man" affects the rest of the universe. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn't think a $100+ million opening weekend wasn't the biggest deal around, but the truth is, when it comes to video games (and one video game in particular), "Iron Man" is just made of tinfoil.

David Ward explains why today, noting that "Grand Theft Auto IV" earned "a record $500 million in first-week global sales," with over 6 million games sold since the April 29 launch. Of course, a ticket to "Iron Man" costs no more than $12 or $13, while "GTA IV" is a $60 purchase. But once you have 6 million of anyone willing to shell out that money, you've got something very, very big. Elsewhere in the piece, the inevitable comparison: "There is probably some overlap between the 'Iron Man' movie and the 'Grand Theft Auto' game audiences," said IDC video game analyst Billy Pidgeon. "But people are going to go to those blockbuster movies no matter what." Said a Paramount spokesman, "It was silly to think boys wouldn't get off the couch to go see 'Iron Man.' I think this put that thinking to rest for good."

That's one way of spinning it, I s'pose.

Today's issue is also very post-production heavy, with a story from Carolyn Giardina about Ascent Media. John Malone, of Discovery Holding Co. which owns Ascent, "is preparing to spin off wholly owned subsidiary AMG, along with Discovery Networks, into an independently traded company by early summer." And elsewhere, Giardina keeps the candle burning at both ends with a Tech Tonic column about the rise of 4K over 2K, not just in post but also in the field. "Many industry experts — all deeply committed to the goal of image quality — have been examining 2K and 4K imagery from all angles and distances and on a variety of display systems. Even within these circles, many say that the quality difference between 2K and 4K is substantial, while others question whether there is a noticeable difference on today’s display systems."

Well, now that the color system has been codified, and things are slowing down due to the tapeless revolution, presumably they've got to have something to argue about.