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Tom Hanks to get Imax treatment with Warner’s ‘Polar Express’
MUMBAI: Encouraged by the success of converting The Matrix Revolutions into the Imax format last year Warner Bros. has announced that it will release Tom Hanks’ upcoming film The Polar Express both in Imax and in standard definition in November.
The film will be released simultaneously in key markets across the world on 19 November.
The film reunites Hanks with his Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis. Both won Oscars for that project. The new family movie has been timed for the Thanksgiving holiday period.
It has used computer graphics imagery and stop-motion photography in order to blend realism and fantasy. It tells the tale of a doubting young boy who takes a train ride to the North Pole. He embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
Zemeckis added, “When I saw the tests for The Polar Express in Imax 3D, I was excited that audiences would be able to experience the film this way. The 3D adds incredible depth and allows the viewers to experience the visual splendor and amazing adventure of this classic story in a way which should create a really memorable experience, not only this holiday season but for many years to come.”
Delights that await viewers include catching snowflakes falling off screens that are up to eight stories tall. Viewers will experience the art of dodging the train’s arrival as the whistle blows in 12,000 watts of digital surround sound.
Before that on 4 June Warner Bros. plans to release Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Imax and conventional theatres in the US, Canada and selected international territories. This will be followed by Catwoman with Halle Berry in July.
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McDonald’s India CBO Arvind RP exits after seven years
The chief business officer exits after a stint that took him from marketing to leading South India operations.
MUMBAI: Arvind RP is out. The chief business officer of McDonald’s India has stepped down from the fast-food giant after more than seven years, and is currently serving out his notice period.
It is a significant exit. Arvind joined McDonald’s India in 2019 as director of marketing and communications, a fairly conventional brief, but steadily accumulated responsibilities until he was running the profit and loss for the company’s entire South India operation, with store operations, new outlet development, marketing, human resources and training all falling under his remit.
In a LinkedIn post, he was characteristically warm about his time there. “Looking back, many of the moments that stand out in my career aren’t just about outcomes or milestones; they’re about the incredible people who were part of the journey,” he wrote, adding that he had been “lucky to be surrounded by fantastic team members.”
Before McDonald’s, Arvind spent six years at skincare chain Kaya, where he led marketing and analytics, overseeing brand-building, product innovation and digital and customer relationship management. His career spans a remarkable sweep of Indian industry: retail at Levi Strauss & Co, consumer goods at Britannia Industries, and automobiles at TVS Motor Company, where he also took an international posting in Jakarta.
With 25 years of experience across quick-service restaurants, beauty, fashion and FMCG, Arvind will not be short of takers. The only question is who moves first.
