The quick maturity of the company afforded nWave the production tools necessary to expand into new areas. In 1996, with the addition of award-winning special venue producer Charlotte Huggins, nWave Pictures branched out to giant screen film production. One year later, the company released its first film for the giant screen, Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun. Upon its release, Thrill Ride quickly gained momentum with audiences and was consistently ranked as one of the top 50 films at the box office for over 70 consecutive weeks (as ranked by Daily Variety). The film remains in distribution through Sony Pictures Classics.
The success of Thrill Ride led nWave into new territory yet again, this time toward the rapidly growing 3-D sector of the giant screen market. "Audiences at giant screen 3-D theaters around the world are clamoring for 3-D films," notes Charlotte Huggins. "There are scores of giant screen 3-D theaters in the world, but only a handful of 3-D films in distribution."
With a combination of eye-popping computer-generated imagery and spectacular live action, nWave's second giant screen film, 3-D Mania: Encounter In The Third Dimension, took audiences through the history of 3-D cinema, from its origins to present-day applications. The film debuted in 1998 to eager audiences and continues to wow audiences worldwide as the first giant screen film to feature live action characters within a totally digital environment.
To complement its rapid production growth and further establish itself in the expanding giant screen market, nWave launched its own film distribution company: nWave Pictures Distribution. Headed by former Sony Pictures Classics V.P. Mark Katz, the new division began with the distribution of 3-D Mania and continued its growth by distributing nWave's third giant screen film, Alien Adventure (another 3-D release). The company's latest offering is Haunted Castle. While nWave Pictures Distribution handles the release of all nWave projects, the company recently expanded to include non-nWave produced giant screen films, including H5B5's OceanMen and the BBC/Discovery Pictures production The Human Body.
With visionary style and confidence, nWave Pictures continues to set new standards by creating a special brand of entertainment for the digital revolution and beyond.