Cineworld Makes Disney Deal

Cineworld Makes Disney Deal

Cineworld has reached a deal with Disney about showing 'Alice in Wonderland'.

A dispute had been brewing about the window between the release of the movie to cinemas and its DVD format, but Cineworld has announced the problem has been resolved, and the Tim Burton-directed 3D movie will be available to see on 150 of its cinema screens.

Chief executive of Cineworld Steve Wiener said: "We are extremely pleased to have reached a satisfactory compromise on this matter.

"As leaders in 3D we did not want the public to miss out on such a visual spectacle. As the success of 'Avatar' has show there is currently a huge appetite for the 3D experience."

Despite the agreement between Disney and Cineworld, the UK's two other big cinema chains Vue and Odeon are yet to agree a deal about the release of the movie on March 5.

The movie, which stars Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, has had similar problems around the world, with Disney suggesting there was no chance of negotiation on the subject.

A source told the Times: "It has been presented as non-negotiable. The reason they gave in the UK is that because of the World Cup, fewer people will go to cinemas; but in the US they told cinemas that it was because there is a downturn of DVD sales at that time of year. In Canada they said it was because of Father's Day."