http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/business/theater-chains-push-back-against-netflix-plan-for-crouching-tiger-sequel.html 2014-10-01 00:08:23 Theater Chains Push Back Against Netflix Plan for ‘Crouching Tiger’ Sequel Regal Cinemas and Cinemark said Tuesday that they would not screen the sequel, which will debut simultaneously on Netflix and on some Imax screens. === Two major theater chains, Regal Cinemas and Cinemark, said Tuesday that they would not screen next year’s sequel to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” the first major motion picture that will make its debut simultaneously on Netflix and on a select number of Imax screens. “While a home video release may be simultaneously performing in certain Imax locations, at Regal we will not participate in an experiment where you can see the same product on screens varying from three stories tall to 3 inches wide on a smartphone,” Russ Nunley, Regal’s vice president for marketing and communications, said in a statement. “We believe the choice for truly enjoying a magnificent movie is clear.” The film, a follow-up to Ang Lee’s Academy Award-winning The move is part of Theater chains in the United States have rallied against attempts to change the traditional model for releasing films, worried that movie fans might stay at home rather than pay for movie tickets. The theaters now typically play movies for three months without competition. A Cinemark spokesman Netflix, Imax and the Weinstein Company, which is producing “Crouching Tiger,” said that movie fans were asking for new ways to watch films. “Going out to the movies is a very different experience than staying in,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix. “Withholding access only invites piracy.” Imax theaters are housed in multiplexes owned by a big chain, and Imax typically controls what appears on its screens. But with the “Crouching Tiger” sequel, Imax waived its rights to program those screens, Richard Gelfond, chief executive of Imax, said in an interview. Imax will give theaters the opportunity to screen the film as an experiment. Imax operates 735 commercial theaters in 59 countries, with China, where Netflix is not available, a particular strength. Regal has 86 Imax locations. Cinemark has 14. In the United States, Imax owns and operates five theaters, where “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend” will play.