Now, this is interesting. Screenings of Dark Water/Death in Heaven in 3D in approximately 700 US cinemas together with an "exclusive" series 9 prequel plus "exclusive" interview with Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman which is hosted by Wil Wheaton. When questioned as to why this event is not taking place in the UK too, BBC Worldwide came up with a quite surprising excuse:
“Due to the number of events taking place for Doctor Who this year including the Symphonic Spectacular and the Doctor Who Festival, we decided against showing the episodes in UK cinema.”
Quite frankly, that excuse is simply laughable. It's obviously a moot point that the Symphonic Spectacular is happening in the US as well. The cynic in me thinks that this cinema event wouldn't do quite so well over here. A 3D screening of episodes we already have on dvd or blu-ray? It would be nice to have the option but the real question concerns the prequel.
Will the prequel be online for everyone to see afterwards? Will it be a boxset exclusive so the rest of us have to wait until the season is over? It SHOULD go online within a day or two of this event but what the BBC should do and what they actually do are completely separate things. They've done so well this year - making sure anything at SDCC was released worldwide, for example - it'll be a shame if they revert to type and start with these stupid "exclusives" again. I hope it doesn't end up like the prequel to "Asylum of the Daleks" - that was free to watch in the US via amazon.com but in the UK you had to BUY a season pass via Itunes (until it quite rightly got ripped and put on youtube). Pretty poor state of affairs - and that's without mentioning the Licence Fee...ooops....I just did.
Anyhow - guess we'll just have to wait and see. Again. In the meantime, for the US fans, here's the press release regarding the cinema showings:
BBC Worldwide North America and Fathom Events announce the return of the longest running sci-fi television series, Doctor Who, to the big screen for a two-night special theatrical event, Doctor Who: Dark Water/Death in Heaven in spectacular 3D, starring Peter Capaldi.
Doctor Who: Dark Water/Death in Heaven, the show’s two-part eighth season finale, will be presented in RealD™ 3D and Dolby Atmos sound (where available) on September 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. (local time). The event will feature The Doctor’s Meditation- a special prequel scene to the first episode of season nine - and an exclusive interview with Doctor Who stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, hosted by Wil Wheaton (Big Bang Theory, Star Trek: Nemesis), in addition to the two-part season eight finale.
Tickets for Doctor Who: Dark Water/Death in Heaven in 3D can be purchased online beginning Friday, July 31 by visitingwww.FathomEvents.com, or participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in approximately 700 movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
