Digital cinema – “the new black” of modern cinematography – will soon be brought to a theater near you! However, this is only available (so far) if you live in North America. Five Hollywood studios undertook the task and promised to turn 35-mm film projectors - digital. This affair will end up costing the studios about $1 billion. Before this was made officially public, theaters could finally answer the questions raised by avid film goers: who was supposed to pay the bill? Skeptics now have their answers, as the conversion of thousands of silver-screens will be on the studios’ tab.

Officials from DCIP (Digital Cinema Implementation Partners – the partners being AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings Inc. and Regal Entertainment Group) see this as the first step in an ambitious program which aims to turn the whole of U.S. and Canada digital. So far, only two studios seemed interested in this project and willing to contribute significantly, those two being 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures. The three that joined more recently are Walt Disney Motion Pictures, Universal Studios and Lionsgate Films. The other two movie giants, Warner Bros. and Son Pictures, are still negotiating.

This grand and ambitious project may be hindered by the current state of the American economy, which somehow seemed more real to the New Yorkers only after it hit Wall Street. However, the actual production of the movies (the “printing”) will be cheaper than the traditional one, as the new movies cost $800 to $1000, as opposed to $1,100 or $2,100. The technique will also simplify showing 3-D movies, as the transition is easier to make from an original digital picture.

Given the money-saving aspect of the deal, film experts expect the initial cost of $1 billion to be amortized quite rapidly.