plus 3, Filmmaker bets horror movie will scare all - English Eastday

Filmmaker bets horror movie will scare all - English Eastday
Wal-Mart to buy digital movie provider Vudu - BusinessWeek
UFC to show upcoming events in movie theaters - Ogden Standard-Examiner
Bruce Willis hints at fifth 'Die Hard' movie - New Kerala

Filmmaker bets horror movie will scare all - English Eastday

Posted: 23 Feb 2010 03:50 PM PST

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A Bollywood filmmaker has issued a lucrative challenge to horror movie fans: a US$10,000 reward for anyone who can watch his latest supernatural thriller, alone, in a cinema until the closing credits.

Ram Gopal Varma's "Phoonk 2," a sequel to his 2008 film of the same name, is about an evil spirit that traumatizes a family. "Anyone who says the movie cannot scare him is going to be put in a theater by himself," Varma said in Mumbai at an event to promote the movie.

Varma said the film fan who steps up to the challenge will be wired up to a heart monitoring machine as well as a camera that ensures they keep their eyes open during the whole movie.

Readings from the machines will be shown live on a screen outside the cinema, Varma said, and if the contestant succeeds, they will win 500,000 rupees (US$10,850).

Varma issued a similar challenge ahead of the release of the original "Phoonk" but the promotional contest was withdrawn after allegations the selection process was rigged.

Varma said the contest winner ran out 30 minutes after the film started, but newspaper reports said a fan in Bangalore booked a cinema to prove the director wrong.

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Wal-Mart to buy digital movie provider Vudu - BusinessWeek

Posted: 22 Feb 2010 03:37 PM PST

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NEW YORK

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Monday it will buy broadband entertainment provider Vudu, a deal that gives the world's biggest retailer the ability to sell movies directly through TVs and Blu-ray players over the Internet.

With the acquisition, Wal-Mart returns to the video-on-demand business, which it tried in the past but failed. Its most recent attempt, offering movie downloads, ended in 2007 after less than a year.

Wal-Mart did not disclose the terms of the newest deal.

Vudu Inc.'s technology can deliver video to consumers who have broadband Internet access and own an Internet-ready TV or Blu-ray player.

Since August, Vudu has offered its service on LG and Mitsubishi-made devices.

In January, Vudu announced it had expanded its partnership deals to Sanyo, Sharp, Toshiba and Vizio. And it said it planned to launch an application platform that would include apps from Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, The New York Times and The Associated Press.

Vudu has licensing agreements with major movie studios and distributors for about 16,000 movies. Its movies cost $3.99 to rent or $19.99 to purchase.

Eduardo Castro-Wright, vice chairman of Wal-Mart, said in a statement that the acquisition will "provide customers with unprecedented access to home entertainment options as they migrate to a digital environment."

The company did not respond to further inquiries from The Associated Press Monday.

Wal-Mart already sells devices that have Vudu capability.

Vudu, based in Santa Clara, Calif., was founded in 2004 and funded by venture capital firms Greylock Partners and Benchmark Capital.

It started out selling set-top boxes for as much as $295 but began phasing them out six months ago in favor of working directly with makers of TVs and other devices.

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UFC to show upcoming events in movie theaters - Ogden Standard-Examiner

Posted: 23 Feb 2010 04:26 PM PST

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LAS VEGAS -- The UFC is headed to the big screen.

The mixed martial arts league has reached a deal to showcase its main events at over 300 movie theaters, starting with UFC 111 on March 27. The UFC announced the deal to The Associated Press on Monday.

Although the UFC experimented with big-screen presentations for its fights in Britain for several years, this stateside deal follows the financial success of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in 170 movie theaters last September.

"I'm always interested in distribution, in finding new ways to get UFC to people," UFC president Dana White said. "My philosophy is always that we haven't scratched how big this is going to be, because we haven't got it into the mainstream yet. This is just another way to do that. I'm anxious to put it out there in theaters and see what happens."

Up to 20 screenings will be hosted by various UFC fighters, including events in Chicago and Minneapolis.

Georges St. Pierre will defend his welterweight title against Dan Hardy in UFC 111's main event at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., with Frank Mir fighting Shane Carwin for the interim heavyweight title.

White said he isn't worried about harming the UFC's pay-per-view revenue by making the fights available for the price of a theater ticket that will cost less than buying the fight at home. He believes boxing hurt itself in recent years by making its biggest fights only available on pay-per-view instead of creating alternative ways to watch, including the UFC's extensive business on the Internet.

White expects the same fans who watch fights in bars or at parties will be intrigued by a huge screen and surround-sound.

"It's another way to get the product in front of people," White said. "We'll do everything."

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