Odeon, UCI ink deal with Universal

2:25 AM PDT 10/14/2010 by Stuart Kemp, AP

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UPI to provide digital versions of its movies in U.K, Ireland

LONDON -- Odeon and UCI Cinemas said Sunday that a deal has been sealed with Universal Pictures International (UPI) through which UPI will provide digital versions of Universal's movie releases in the U.K. and Ireland.

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Odeon, UCI Cinemas said Sunday it has sealed a deal with Universal Pictures International (UPI) through which UPI will provide digital versions of Universal's movie releases in the U.K. and Ireland.

Those releases, according to the parties, will be "made possible by Odeon and UCI Cinemas Group's ongoing digital conversion process."

The move to 100% digital projection will kick off in the last week of April and is expected to be fully completed by 2012, Odeon said.

As of March, Odeon and UCI operated 154 digital screens in the U.K. Those existing screens are incorporated into the deal as part of the total roll-out.

All 800 screens will be digitized by sometime in 2012, the group said with a total investment for digital standing at over £70 million ($107 million).