Glaconman, sorry to intrude on what has until now been a pas des deux, but I have a view on the need for screening theatrical work in cinemas.
I don't know how wide the theatrical release of History Boys was, but in general I think theatric pieces deserve to be viewed in cinemas because of the shared experience pheonomenon and the atmospheric similarities between a packed picture house and a packed theatre. Certain works translate well from stage to screen - I'm thinking of Zeffirelli's 1968
Romeo and Juliet as a good example. Others plainly do not, or do not gain from the transition; however the mass-audience argument works well for me.
I guess the best theatrical/ cinematic cross-overs are where the interactivity makes the same journey. Rocky Horror is the ultimate case in point, so much so that without recourse to google I can't remember which came first, the movie or the stage show. Screenings of RHPS turn into live performances and the two mediums meld painlessly, something that must make Richard O'Brien a very happy bunny indeed.
I do agree that certain pictures demand the big screen treatment. I happen to think
Alien* loses a great deal of it's power on TV because even with HD and all that some of the darkest corners of the vehicle - and there are many - are completely lost, whereas in the movie theatre you detect subtle flickering movements and gentle changes in tone (or should I say 'micro-changes in air density') which in turn add to the overall tension.
[SIZE="1"]* See? I can get a mention in just about anywhere
[/SIZE]
