Corona | Coming Attractions

Tim Burton's new film version of Alice in Wonderland will not be screened at Odeon cinemas in the UK, Irish Republic and Italy, the cinema chain says.

The move is in response to the Disney studio's plan to reduce the period in which it can be shown only in cinemas from the standard 17 weeks.

The plan would allow Disney to release the film on DVD at the end of May.

Odeon said it would "set a new benchmark, leading to a 12-week window becoming rapidly standard".

Cineworld cinemas will show the movie, however, after reaching an independent agreement with the Disney studio.

The Vue chain is also understood to have reached an agreement with Disney, details of which are due to be announced shortly.

Odeon's decision will not affect the film's Royal premiere on Thursday, which is coincidentally set to take place at the Odeon Leicester Square in central London.

Nor will it affect its plans to show the film in Spain, Germany, Portugal and Austria - territories where Disney intends to observe the normal DVD release window.

The Odeon & UCI Cinema Group is Britain's largest cinema chain with more than 100 sites nationwide. There are about 4 within easy drive of my house. Cineworld and Vue are the second and third biggest and there is also one of each within 15/20 minutes of my house.

Together they represent just under two-thirds of all cinema screens in the UK.

According to the UK FIlm Council:

Odeon - 107 sites/834 screens
Cineworld - 74 sites/758 screens
Vue - 63 sites/608 screens
National Amusements - 21 sites/274 screens
Ward Anderson - 24 sites/206 screens

Disney told the BBC that one of the main reasons for the decision was to bring the film to customers more quickly, thereby helping to beat piracy.

It said if a cinema stopped showing a film before the 17-week exclusivity period, the audience did not have a legitimate way to see the movie - potentially leading to piracy.

It said it had agreed to take this approach with a limited number of movies every year in certain countries.

Bob Chapek, Disney's president of distribution, has said the company remains "committed" to theatrical windows.

However, he believes there is a "need for exceptions to accommodate a shortened time-frame on a case-by-case basis".

Odeon, though, believes such a move will damage not just its business but that of all cinemas in the UK.

"The negative impact on cinema attendance that such a reduction in the window will have will threaten the continued existence of many cinemas, especially the smaller and medium-sized cinemas."

Odeon also highlights the additional costs the chain has incurred making its screens suitable for 3D movies.

"Odeon/UCI has invested considerable sums of money, especially in the UK, over the past 12 months to install digital projection systems in its cinemas," it said.

"The proposed reduction in the window on a high-profile 3D title like Alice in Wonderland undermines the investment made."

Disney also faces opposition in Belgium, the Netherlands and the US over its plans for this title.

It is not the first time, however, it has attempted to make overtures in this area.

Last year, the company attempted to reduce the theatrical window of Pixar's 'Up'.

In that instance it dropped its plans after UK exhibitors threatened not to screen another of its titles, A Christmas Carol, later in the year.

Neither is Disney the only studio to have faced opposition over theatrical exclusivity from UK cinema chains.

In 2007, Odeon and Vue removed Ben Stiller comedy Night at the Museum from their cinemas after 20th Century Fox shortened its theatrical window to 13 weeks.

The Cinema Exhibitors' Association, the body representing the interests of around 90% of UK cinema operators, has not commented on this latest case.

Speaking "in general terms", though, it said it "strongly" supported the maintenance of "a clear and exclusive window between a film's theatrical release and its release on other platforms".

"The CEA believes maintenance of the window will ensure that audiences continue to enjoy the widest possible range of films in their intended environment, the cinema theatre."