A top European cinema chain said today it will show Walt Disney Co's Alice In Wonderland after threatening to boycott it in some countries to protest Disney's plans to release the DVD early.
Odeon's reversal today in signing a deal with Disney came the same day the chain hosted a London premiere for the movie at its Leicester Square theatre.
Odeon's concession follows similar deals by the UK's Cineworld Cinemas and Vue Entertainment chains, which were also initially reluctant to show Alice, but have relented and reached deals with Disney in recent days.
Odeon said in a statement it reached an "enduring agreement" with Disney "encompassing all the different aspects of both companies' commercial relationship." The statement did not offer details on the agreement. A Disney spokesman also declined to give specifics.
Alice In Wonderland, which stars Johnny Depp, opens on March 5th and is the most highly anticipated 3-D movie since the record-shattering Avatar, which has made nearly $2.5 billion at worldwide box offices.
But Disney has upset cinema owners with its plan to shorten by about a month the standard 17-week window between the film's cinema debut and its DVD release, in part to spark disc sales.
The chains grumbled that audiences would skip going to cinemas, and wait to see the movie on DVD.
Odeon had said earlier this week that it would not show Alice at its UK, Irish and Italian outlets.
Odeon Cinemas was bought by Terra Firma in 2004 and merged with UCI; the three Irish cinemas in the chain were sold off to Entertainment Enterprises in 2006. However, the Odeon management team still runs the three Dublin cinemas on a day to day basis. Odeon also has a cinema in Belfast.
Reuters