Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

What Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny gets right (and very wrong) about the historical Antikythera Mechanism

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 31, 2023

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is based around the Antikythera Mechanism: an actual ancient Greek object that tracked the cycles of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets against the stars.

Key Points: 
  • Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is based around the Antikythera Mechanism: an actual ancient Greek object that tracked the cycles of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets against the stars.
  • The Antikythera mechanism and its bronze gearwheels totally reconfigured the study of ancient technology.
  • It was among a bunch of other antiquities pulled out of a shipwreck by sponge divers in 1901.
  • As a scholar of ancient Greek technology, seeing a blockbuster based around the Antikythera Mechanism is deeply satisfying.

Archimedes and Nazis

    • The sell for the film’s audience and for the Führer is Archimedes himself.
    • He is associated with inventions such as the Archimedes screw used to draw-up water in Assyria and Egypt.
    • Trying to hike up the price, Helena explains it was built by Archimedes himself.
    • It’s one thing to attribute the design of the mechanism to Archimedes (some academic papers in fact toy with the same idea).

So what IS the Antikythera mechanism?

    • The Antikythera mechanism would not have been a disc as in the film, but rather a box covered in circles.
    • On the back you could see two large spirals and three smaller dials which tracked the passing of time according to different calendars.
    • These pointers landed in different rings to indicate the phases of the Moon, the phases of the planets, the signs of the zodiac.
    • These allowed a user to put the Antikythera mechanism into motion by carefully rotating a knob.

The Antikythera mechanism, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley

    • Though this is the first time the mechanism has featured in a Hollywood blockbuster, the Antikythera has not been camera shy.
    • From as early as the 1950s, the Antikythera mechanism was called a “computer” by scholars working on the device.
    • The common thread is that in looking at the Antikythera mechanism, you are looking at the “world’s first computer”.

Regal Regency Theatre Officially Opens Tomorrow, Thursday, July 13

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 13, 2023

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., July 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The brand-new Regal Regency theatre will officially open Thursday, July 13, in Panama City, Florida, with first-run movies including Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Insidious: The Red Door and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Key Points: 
  • KNOXVILLE, Tenn., July 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The brand-new Regal Regency theatre will officially open Thursday, July 13, in Panama City, Florida, with first-run movies including Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Insidious: The Red Door and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
  • "When doors open to the highly anticipated Regency theatre, we are excited to showcase the latest innovations to the moviegoing experience including 4DX, ScreenX and RPX premium formats," said Richard M. Grover, Head of Marketing at Regal.
  • "Residents and visitors will soon agree that this new theatre is 'The Best Place to Watch a Movie!'
  • The Regal Unlimited subscription at Regency is only $21.99 a month and is exclusively available on the Regal mobile app.

IMAX Swings to Another Super Animated Opening With $20 Million Global Debut for "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 5, 2023

NEW YORK, June 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) catapulted to a $20 million debut for Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" at the global box office this weekend. In a sign of the surging popularity of animation across the IMAX global network, the stellar sequel delivered the second biggest animated opening of all time in IMAX —missing the record set only two months ago by just $1 million.

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, June 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) catapulted to a $20 million debut for Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" at the global box office this weekend.
  • In a sign of the surging popularity of animation across the IMAX global network, the stellar sequel delivered the second biggest animated opening of all time in IMAX —missing the record set only two months ago by just $1 million.
  • Opening with an impressive $13.5 million in North America — good for 11.2% of the market — the highly anticipated animated sequel also scored $6.5 million oversees, including $2.7 million in China — 16.5% of the film's Chinese box office on only 1% of screens.
  • The success of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" comes on the heels of the recent animated smash hit "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", which holds the title for the Company's highest grossing animated film of all time with a record-breaking $21.6 million debut.

CJ 4DPLEX REPORTS RECORD BOX OFFICE FOR FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF 2023

Retrieved on: 
Monday, May 8, 2023

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CJ 4DPLEX, the world's leading producer of premium film formats and cinema technologies, is off to its strongest start in box office history. The first four months of 2023's box office for 4DX and ScreenX theatres is tracking 70% higher than last year and 36% higher than pre-pandemic levels (2019) generating over $150 million through May 1.

Key Points: 
  • HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CJ 4DPLEX, the world's leading producer of premium film formats and cinema technologies, is off to its strongest start in box office history.
  • The event cinema releases account for 11% of the company's box office to date.
  • For the LATAM, EMEA and domestic marketplace "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "Avatar: The Way of Water" elevated the box office.
  • In terms of percentage growth, the domestic box office had one of the most dramatic increases, with a 98% increase from 2022.

CJ 4DPLEX REPORTS RECORD BOX OFFICE FOR FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF 2023

Retrieved on: 
Monday, May 8, 2023

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CJ 4DPLEX, the world's leading producer of premium film formats and cinema technologies, is off to its strongest start in box office history. The first four months of 2023's box office for 4DX and ScreenX theatres is tracking 70% higher than last year and 36% higher than pre-pandemic levels (2019) generating over $150 million through May 1.

Key Points: 
  • HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CJ 4DPLEX, the world's leading producer of premium film formats and cinema technologies, is off to its strongest start in box office history.
  • The event cinema releases account for 11% of the company's box office to date.
  • For the LATAM, EMEA and domestic marketplace "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "Avatar: The Way of Water" elevated the box office.
  • In terms of percentage growth, the domestic box office had one of the most dramatic increases, with a 98% increase from 2022.

IMAX Rockets to Biggest Global Opening of 2023 with $25 Million Debut of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"

Retrieved on: 
Monday, May 8, 2023

NEW YORK, May 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) rocketed to a $25 Million debut for Disney/Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" at the global box office this weekend — the company's biggest global opening thus far in 2023. Led by a $10.7 million draw in North America, the film also delivered the highest grossing IMAX debut of the trilogy. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" also scored a $5.6 million IMAX debut in China — 19% of the country's opening weekend box office on less than 1% of screens — and a strong 9.5 audience score on Maoyan.

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, May 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) rocketed to a $25 Million debut for Disney/Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.
  • 3" at the global box office this weekend — the company's biggest global opening thus far in 2023.
  • Led by a $10.7 million draw in North America, the film also delivered the highest grossing IMAX debut of the trilogy.
  • International markets delivered $14.3 million in IMAX box office, with the film opening on 1,550 IMAX systems across 82 countries and territories worldwide.