One of the big hopes for digital cinema is the opportunity it provides for alternative content.  If it can be digitized, it can be shown in a digitally-equipped movie theater.

The L.A. Times takes a look at one of the early movers - Bigger Picture (a division of digital cinema aggregator AccessIT) - in what may prove to be an important source of revenue for theater owners.

The technology also enables theaters to easily switch what's being shown in a theater, opening venues up to specialized shows so they can sell tickets and popcorn when they aren't showing Hollywood's latest blockbusters. Although major studio movies attract big crowds on weekends, Dern said that over the course of a typical week auditoriums are often filled to only 10% to 15% of capacity.

"If we can move the dial 1%, that's a big number," Dern said.

Bigger Picture started three years ago, when Dern and Rutkowski came up with the "Kidtoons" animation programs. A typical program might include a G-rated feature, such as this spring's "Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Blossom Festival," plus cartoon shorts, music videos and singalongs.

Concerts, opera and sports have all taken a turn at the alternative content turnstile, with live theater simulcasts from New York's Metropolitan Opera proving a surprising success. Still, we're early in the exploration of just what sort of content will drive audiences to movie theaters in off-peak hours. As digital cinema grows and approaches a critical mass, well see a lot more companies looking to turn alternative digital content into a sustainable business.

Michael Karagosian, a Calabasas-based consultant to the theater industry, sees several challenges. Niche offerings may end up playing best in rural areas where access to concerts and other events is limited, he said, but prove a tough sell in cities.

Competition is heating up, he notes. National CineMedia, for example, a digital theater advertising company, distributes concerts and other events under its Fathom brand.

Still, Karagosian said, what Access is doing boosts the appeal of digital technology to exhibitors.

"Content will drive the business more than equipment," Karagosian said. "It's recurring revenue, and a company like Access IT is looking to sell razor blades, not just razors."

As noted last week, Michael Moore's documentary Sicko has been pirated and put on various p2p sites. Now it's on YouTube.

The Hollywood Reporter reports today that the entire film is available in bite-sized chunks. This was news to the Weinstein Company, which seemed rather sanguine about the whole affair:

When sought for an official comment from Weinstein Co. late Sunday evening, a spokesperson was unaware that the entire film was on YouTube. A Lionsgate executive and a YouTube spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment at deadline.

The spokesperson issued a statement also given to other media outlets, saying that "[w]hile virtually every movie released these days faces a similar situation, 'Sicko' is more than just a movie, it is a call to action. We are responding aggressively to protect our film but from our research it is clear that people interested in the movement are excited to go to the theater so they can be part of the experience and fight to reform health care."

How the leak of a version apparently taken from a DVD copy will affect the film's theatrical boxoffice remains unclear. Moore's anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" was widely bootlegged and available in a pirated version online around its June 2004 opening, but went on to earn $119 million at the domestic boxoffice.

We'll see how they really feel about the issue in about two weeks.