HBO劇集《權力的遊戲》將登陸影院

The dragons, dire wolves, White Walkers and power-hungry political factions in HBO’s fantasy epic “Game of Thrones” will invade movie theaters later this month — on the big, big screen. An exclusive trailer for the coming season along with the final two episodes of the previous season will be shown in 150 Imax theaters across the country.

本月底，HBO頻道的奇幻史詩電視劇《權力的遊戲》(Game of Thrones)中的龍、冰原狼、白鬼和渴望權力的政治派系將登上電影院的大銀幕。下一季的獨家預告片和上一季的最後兩集將在美國各地的150家Imax影院上映。

The critically acclaimed drama about rival dynasties in a medieval-like world will be the first television series ever to appear on Imax screens. Tickets for the engagement, which will run for one week from Jan. 23 to 29, will go on sale “in the coming days.”

這部廣受好評的電視劇講述的是在一個類似中世紀的世界裏的王朝爭奪，它將成爲首部登上Imax銀幕的電視劇。“幾天後”將開始售票，上映時間是1月23日至29日。

The move signals a continued blurring of the lines among media platforms, where digital videos, television series and films stream across a proliferation of screens, from tiny mobile phones to movie theaters. It also shows the extent to which media companies are trying to turn their blockbuster hits into mega events, as drawing mass audiences becomes increasingly rare.

這一舉措表明，媒體平臺之間的界線更加模糊——數字視頻、電視劇和電影出現在越來越多的屏幕上，從手機小屏幕到影院大銀幕。它還表明，媒體公司在努力把自己的轟動作品變成大事件，因爲吸引大量觀衆變得越來越難。

For Imax, the “Game of Thrones” screening is part of an effort to expand the type of programming it shows beyond its core theatrical releases, especially as the North American box office faces tumbling sales. The company has had preliminary conversations with other entertainment companies about showing other television series and also has tested technologies allowing for the screening of live sports. Music concerts also are on the table, said Richard L. Gelfond, chief executive of Imax.

Imax公司想通過上映《權力的遊戲》來擴展自己放映的節目類型，不侷限於放映核心電影，特別是在北美電影票房不佳的情況下。該公司和其他娛樂公司初步討論了放映其他電視劇的計劃，還測試了直播體育賽事的技術。Imax公司的首席執行官理查德·L·蓋爾方德(Richard L. Gelfond)說，音樂會也在討論之列。

“We see the past of our company and the future of our company as innovating in the way that content is displayed,” Mr. Gelfond said.

“我們公司的過去和未來都是在不斷革新內容的呈現方式，”蓋爾方德說。

Other experimentation includes a plan to show the sequel to the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” simultaneously on Netflix and in select Imax theaters.

其他試驗包括計劃在Netflix網站和一些精選Imax影院同時播映《臥虎藏龍》(Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)的續集。

HBO and Imax started talking about screening “Game of Thrones” several months ago, convinced that the high production quality of the series, the demographic of the fan base and the branding opportunities made it a worthy experiment. At a reported $6 million to $10 million an episode, the show ranks as one of the most expensive productions on television today.

幾個月前，HBO和Imax開始討論放映《權力的遊戲》，他們確信，這部電視劇製作精良，擁有龐大的粉絲羣，又有許多品牌推廣機會，所以值得嘗試在影院上映。據報道，該劇每集的製作成本爲600萬至1000萬美元，是如今製作成本最高的電視劇之一。

“ 'Game of Thrones’ is one of the few television shows that has the scope and cinematic qualities to really support the Imax format,” said Pamela Levine, chief marketing officer at HBO.

“從題材規模和拍攝品質角度講，《權力的遊戲》是少數幾部真正支持Imax格式的電視劇之一，”HBO的首席營銷官帕梅拉·萊文(Pamela Levine)說。

For HBO, the screening kicks off the promotion for the coming season of “Game of Thrones,” which starts in April. It will also start what is expected to be a big year of marketing and promotion for the premium cable network as a whole. HBO announced in October that it planned to introduce a stand-alone Internet streaming service later this year that does not require a standard cable or satellite subscription. It also is planning its first brand marketing campaign in about two decades.

對HBO來說，《權力的遊戲》的上映拉開了該劇下一季宣傳的序幕，下一季將於4月份開播。對於這個付費有線電視網來說，今年是整體營銷和推廣的重要年頭。去年10月，HBO宣佈將在2015年晚些時候推出單獨的互聯網流媒體服務，它不需要繳納常規的有線電視或衛星電視費用。該公司還在規劃約20年來的首次品牌推廣活動。

Some industry observers have speculated that HBO’s new subscription streaming service would start in tandem with the new season of “Game of Thrones” so that the network could capitalize on the buzz related to the show. The fourth season of “Game of Thrones,” which ended in June, averaged 19 million cumulative viewers, making it the most-watched HBO original series ever.

一些行業觀察者們預測，HBO新的訂購流媒體服務將和《權力的遊戲》的新一季同時開始，這樣該電視臺就能充分利用該劇帶來的轟動效應。《權力的遊戲》第四季於去年6月結束，平均每集的觀衆累積達1900萬，是HBO原創電視劇中收視率最高的。

HBO has not released details about the timing or other aspects of the new service.

HBO尚未發佈這項新服務的推出時間和其他細節。

Timing was crucial for the “Game of Thrones” screenings. Blockbuster productions rarely are released in January, giving Imax some flexibility in scheduling an experiment. “It would be difficult to bump ‘Avengers’ or ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Bond’ to do something like this,” Mr. Gelfond said. “But in late January, you have a lot more flexibility.”

《權力的遊戲》的上映時機很關鍵。大片很少在1月份發佈，這讓Imax公司有了一些靈活性，可以安排一次試驗。“你很難擠掉《復仇者聯盟》(Avengers)、《星球大戰》(Star Wars)或《007》(Bond)，來做這樣的嘗試，”蓋爾方德說，“但是1月底有很大的靈活性。”