In response to huge public demand, encore screenings of Twelfth Night, The Taming of the Shrew and Henry V began this week across Cineworld cinemas in the UK. Having sold out venues across the country, the return of all three films for a limited second run will offer audiences another chance to experience the world's most famous stage as if they were there in person.
Shakespeare's Globe has strengthened and expanded its commitment to digital innovation in theatre this year, taking current Globe On Screen releases to thousands of cinemagoers in eleven countries. On the day of its UK release, Twelfth Night was the fifth most successful film in the UK marketplace, and global box office takings for all three films have more than quadrupled in comparison with last year's releases.
By the end of the year, the Globe On Screen programme will have reached five brand new countries: Hong Kong, Russia, Norway, Sweden and Hungary. Six films in total will be screened in Russia across Moscow, St Petersburg and 20 regional cinemas in October: Much Ado About Nothing, All's Well That Ends Well and Doctor Faustus, as well as the three 2013 releases. Globe On Screen is part of the Globe's pioneering digital strategy, which aims to capture and present in high definition every one of Shakespeare's plays. English-language productions of over half of Shakespeare's canon have already been filmed, as well as the entirety of last year's multilingual Globe To Globe festival.
All Globe On Screen performances are captured in pristine digital cinema quality with full 5.1 surround sound. Each film is released on DVD after its initial run in cinemas, and the Globe is also looking to create a dedicated Globe Player website in order to make the archive of Globe On Screen films easily available to online audiences.