Knoxville, Tennessee – September 24, 2012 – Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), a leading motion picture exhibitor owning and operating the largest theatre circuit in the United States, announced a milestone with 200 theatres nationwide now offering the Sony Entertainment Access System at theatres across the country. Regal Entertainment Group is working exclusively with Sony for this cutting-edge technology to assist moviegoers who are deaf, hard of hearing, have low vision or are blind.
“Regal is leading the way by providing the best experience available for all of our guests. This technology, designed by the experts at Sony, is revolutionary in terms of greater access for moviegoers,” stated Ken Thewes, Regal Entertainment Group Chief Marketing Officer. “We expect to deploy this equipment to all of our digital cinemas by April and we are encouraged by the positive feedback already received regarding the new technology.”
“With Sony’s entertainment access glasses, a broader range of the moviegoing public can now enjoy exciting movie experiences in a relaxed, natural way without the inconvenience of separate screening times or special seating,” said Dianne LaGuardia, senior marketing manager for digital cinema at Sony Electronics. “We’re proud to be working with Regal to rollout this revolutionary technology.”
The system includes specially designed lightweight eyewear for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing to privately view closed captioned text directly in their line of sight for both 2D and 3D movies. This assistive technology can accommodate headphones or neck loops connected to the wireless receiver to hear descriptive audio tracks for patrons who have low vision or those who are blind.
The Sony Entertainment Access System is available at the Guest Services counter or from any theatre manager. Captions and descriptive audio can only be accessed by use of this equipment and it is not visible or audible to other moviegoers. To select films offering this service, online showtimes will note: “Accessibility Devices Available.”
Over the years Regal has remained a strong advocate for making moviegoing accessible to everyone. Regal Entertainment Group is grateful for the many years of aid, insight and support provided by advocates within the deaf, hard of hearing, blind and low vision communities that led to this evolution in moviegoing. Studio partners have also responded and now make many film titles available for use with this assistive technology.
Regal has an informative video online which demonstrates the Sony Entertainment Access System in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbUMjNnL7lw
For guests who are deaf or hard of hearing, there is a second version of the video available with the narration visible online through open captions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsckbFwU2SQ
About Regal Entertainment Group:
Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) operates the largest and most geographically diverse theatre circuit in the United States, consisting of 6,597 screens in 522 locations in 37 states and the District of Columbia as of August 30, 2012. The Company operates theatres in 43 of the top 50 U.S. designated market areas. We believe that the size, reach and quality of the Company's theatre circuit not only provide its patrons with a convenient and enjoyable movie-going experience, but is also an exceptional platform to realize economies of scale in theatre operations. Additional information is available on the Company's Web site at www.REGmovies.com.
About Sony Electronics Digital Cinema Solutions:
Sony Digital Cinema Solutions combines a full range of Sony technologies and training and service to provide a broad range of solutions for exhibitors. The world’s leading manufacturer of commercially available 4K resolution digital cinema projection systems, the group also offers Sony’s proprietary theater management system); digital signage hardware, software and content .
