Image: Kevin Winter/Billboard Awards 2014/Getty Images for DC.
You might not recognise the name Hologram USA or the company’s owner, Greek billionaire Alki David, but you’ve certainly aware of their work.
Tupac Shakur revived on stage at Coachella in 2012, Michael Jackson moonwalking at the Billboard Music Awards and even Wikileaks Julian Assange speaking at a conference in Massachusetts while remaining cooped up in London’s Ecuadorian Embassy – all projects produced by Hologram USA.
Using CGI, 3D technology and a wafer-thin screen, Hologram USA has become the leader in this visual trick that makes it appear actors, singers or comedians are on-stage, when really they are not.
But now, after developing and refining its holographic technology, the company is ready for its next act, opening the world’s first dedicated holographic theatre in Hollywood.
Holograms in Hollywood
Opening 1 November and charging $20 a ticket, Hologram USA’s theatre has secured the rights for the virtual performances of a number of celebrities like Whitney Houston, Jackie Wilson, Billie Holiday, and Buddy Holly.
David and Hologram USA are also signing deals with US cinema chains to “beam” live holographic broadcasts of comedians and singers across some 150 venues, including their Hollywood theatre.
And the US is only the start.
“We are in discussion with the producer Phil McIntyre, of We Will Rock You, about bringing hologram to London’s West End. The next step is an X Factor-style talent show, where contestants in London are projected to audiences in Hollywood,” David told The Times.
Whether audiences actually want to see regular holographic shows, akin to a monthly trip to the cinema, as opposed to a one-off spectacle, still waits to be seen.
But with such global ambitions, Alki David will certainly soon find out.
Source: The Memo