Movie theaters around the country aren’t surviving; they’re thriving. According to Statistica, theaters in the U.S. and Canada sold around 825 million tickets this year—an increase of more than 12 million compared to 2022 and an increase of almost 333 million tickets compared to 2021.

And while Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer certainly played a significant role in luring movie-watchers back to the big screens this past summer, a behind-the-scenes digital revolution is pushing movie theaters back to the forefront of entertainment prominence: the transition of final film files from Blu-Ray to Digital Cinema Packages (DCP).

DCP—or a collection of digital files that convert a movie into a format compatible with commercial theater projectors (AKA a “D-Cinema theater”)—enable professional and indie filmmakers alike to retain the original file size and resolution of their film projects, unlike their physical-media counterparts.

“It’s about the audience experience and doing the film justice,” says Eric Benedict, business development manager of Plymouth-based Studio 120. “All we’re doing is allowing the audience to experience the film the way the filmmaker intended. And that’s what DCP has allowed us to do.”

The Reel Deal

Since 2015, Studio 120 has partnered with the Twin Cities Film Fest to ensure their filmmakers successfully convert their films into DCPs. Studio 120 is one of only three independent, middle-market DCP specialists in the country. Albeit a niche specialty, it’s one that is growing in demand. At the most recent TCFF in October, every single one of the roughly 140 films featured were converted to a DCP format—about half by Studio 120.

“Once a filmmaker has completed their film and it’s ready for theaters, we ask for the highest resolution file that they can provide,” says Jatin Setia, executive director of the Twin Cities Film Fest. “Many people are familiar with MP4s, which is a compressed—or lower-quality—file, but that won’t give the audience the best experience, because there is a loss of sound and visual quality. DCPs, if done correctly, are exactly how the filmmaker wanted you to experience the film, both visually and audibly. It is the industry standard to show your art as it was intended.”

Studio 120 works with national production companies (think: Hollywood studios!)—as well as indie film festivals across the country, including the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival, Provincetown International Film Festival, and Filmed By Bike—to ensure their films meet theater specifications. Eager to support local artists, Studio 120 has been a longtime sponsor of the TCFF Insiders Series, where each month an independent film is shown at the St. Paul Athletic Club, followed by a Q-and-A with actors, producers, writers, and directors, offering local filmmakers an opportunity to learn, network, and test-run their unfinished work on audiences. “We love to support local,” Benedict says.

Behind-the-Scenes Stars

Key to the success of Studio 120’s DCP conversions is video and multimedia engineer Codey Livingood. Livingood not only converts each file to a DCP, but he watches each product in its final form on the big screen.

“Quality checking a DCP requires me to review the film in an actual movie theater, typically sitting in the very center seat of the theater, with a stopwatch running and a pen and notepad in hand,” Livingood explains. “I look for defects in the image, missed edits, proper surround sound mix, and do my best not to blink while keeping a close eye on the film.”

That personal touch to Studio 120’s approach when it comes to DCP transfers ensures the final product is the best product it could be.

“I see myself as the final set of eyes and ears that will observe the film before it goes out in front of the masses,” Livingood says. “I take that responsibility very seriously.”

The ADS Group is a Plymouth-based, full-service media development and distribution company. Their subsidiary companies Studio 120, Advanced Duplication Services, and Copycats Media make media simple with everything you need to bring your brand to the next level, all under one roof.