Dolby Cinema Milestones

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The 70mm Newsletter

May 1999: First film with Dolby Digital Surround EX soundtrack, "Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace". April 1999: Number of cinemas equipped with Dolby Digital totals more than 20,000. January 1998: Number of Dolby cinema sound processors sold surpasses 50,000 worldwide. October 1996: 500th Dolby Digital theatrical film, "Shine", screened at ShowEast, Atlantic City. June 1992: First film released in Dolby Stereo Digital, "Batman Returns". June 1990: Release of 100th Dolby Stereo SR film, "RoboCop 2". July 1987: First Dolby Stereo SR films released, "Innerspace" and "Robocop". November 1986: Release of 1000th Dolby Stereo film, "Heartbreak Ridge". November 1979: "Apocalypse Now" is first Dolby Stereo 70 mm film exhibited commercially with stereo surround (in 15 theatres). December 1978: "Superman", 50th film with soundtracks encoded with Dolby A-type, opens simultaneously in over 200 theatres; also used in first experiments with 70 mm stereo surround. May 1977: Opening of "Star Wars" in 46 U.S. theatres equipped for Dolby Stereo, plus release of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" later in year, greatly increase public awareness of Dolby Stereo and trigger further theatre installations. Spring 1976: First 35 mm Dolby Stereo optical film with encoded surround effects, "A Star Is Born", released. September 1975: First feature film for general release with Dolby Stereo optical soundtrack, "Lisztomania", completed. May 1974: "Callan", first film with optical soundtrack (mono) encoded with A-type noise reduction, shown at Cannes film festival. December 1971: "A Clockwork Orange", first film to use Dolby noise reduction on all pre-mixes and masters, released with conventional mono optical soundtrack.

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