Approximately 400-450 screens in the United States total will screen “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” with the new HFR standard (48 frames-per-second rather than the usual 24fps). That’s enough to cover most major cities but only a few screens in each.
Talking about the rollout with Deadline, Warner Bros Domestic Distribution President Dan Fellman says that equipment is being tested and glitches are being fixed even now, while the limited rollout is because the technology “is going to change the way people see movies… you have to do it right.”
Along with color correction, and the addition of “graininess and filtering,” the final footage will reportedly look very different to the footage screened to a mixed response at CinemaCon back in April. Tickets for the HFR screenings likely will cost no more than cinemas already charge for conventional 3D films.
About The Critic
