Sacramento, Calif. – 12 April 2016 – Digital cinema leader Barco announced today deals with two top production companies to release multiple upcoming titles in Barco’s multi-screen, immersive movie format, Barco Escape.

Cross Creek Pictures, the production company behind thrillers “Black Swan,” “Everest,” “Rush,” and "Black Mass," has committed to go into development on a film in Barco Escape by 2017. Cross Creek Pictures recently announced a three-year co-financing, production, and distribution deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Fundamental Films will produce two or more of their upcoming titles as part of their deal with Barco Escape. Fundamental is targeting “24 Hours to Live,” directed by Brian Smrz and produced with Basil Iwanyk’s Thunder Road (“John Wick,” “Sicario,” “Gods of Egypt”). The film stars Ethan Hawke as a career assassin who is given a chance at redemption after his employer brings him back to life temporarily, just after being killed on the job. “24 Hours” will release in summer 2017, with an additional, to-be-announced Fundamental title debuting in Barco Escape in late 2016.

The deal with Shanghai-based production and distribution company Fundamental Films, which has shepherded the release of many American films such as “Taken 3,” “Hotel Transylvania” and “Lucy” into the Chinese market, reinforces Barco’s international expansion to bring immersive theater technology into Asia. Barco Escape has installations in Shanghai and Beijing.

“We are honored to be one of the earliest adopters of this game-changing cinema technology,” said Fundamental Film’s chairman Mark Gao. “Barco Escape’s ultra-wide format offers the largest canvas available in theaters, empowering us to put our audience inside the action like never before in our upcoming movies.”

“At Cross Creek, we continue to push the envelope on bringing memorable, evocative films to audiences,” said Cross Creek Pictures’ Tyler Thompson. “We’re excited to partner with Barco Escape to bring our films to a grander stage for some of our most-anticipated projects.”

“Support for Barco Escape from Cross Creek Pictures and Fundamental Films attests to the growing interest from filmmakers and studios to offer their audiences the kind of immersive experience they can only get in theaters,” said Barco Escape CEO Todd Hoddick. “We cannot wait to see how the teams at both of these innovative companies put our technology into motion.”

The Fundamental Films and Cross Creek Pictures deals add to a fast-growing list of titles scheduled for release in Barco Escape this coming year. JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions and Paramount recently revealed this summer’s most anticipated film “Star Trek Beyond” will be re-mastered for the format for the blockbuster’s summer 2016 debut. Director Scott Waugh (“Act of Valor,” “Need for Speed”) is currently directing the Josh Hartnett-led “6 Below,” the first feature shot entirely for Barco Escape. Additionally, Barco has multi picture deals with 20th Century Fox and Jerry Bruckheimer to create movies for the format.

With current exhibitor partners in the United States, Europe, Mexico and China, Barco plans to expand to more than 100 Barco Escape theaters in 2016.

About Barco
Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops networked visualization products for the Entertainment, Enterprise and Healthcare markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and APAC. Barco (NYSE Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with 3,300 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 1.029 billion euro in 2015.

About Fundamental Films
Fundamental Films is a Shanghai-based film financier, production and distribution company. They have numerous production and development deals around Hollywood including Europa Corp, Basil Iwanyk’s Thunder Road Productions, Mark Johnson’s Gran Via Productions and Keanu Reeves’ Company Films. Fundamental Films has distributed a number of foreign titles in China including LUCY, TAKEN 3, HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 1 & 2, LIMITLESS, THE GREY, AMERICAN HUSTLE among many others.


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