Dutch cinema chain breaks boycott of Disney's 'Alice'

(Walt Disney Pictures)

Pathe cinemas in the Netherlands will show Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" despite a planned boycott by other major chains after reaching a deal with Disney, a spokesman said on Monday.

Jogchems, Minerva, Pathe and Wolff - representing between 80 and 85 percent of all Dutch cinemas - announced the boycott on February 15 to protest plans to release the film on DVD less than three months after its big screen debut.

"We have a new agreement with Disney," said Pathe spokesman Youry Bredewold who is also a representative of the National Board of Cinema Owners, declining to elaborate on the agreement.

Dutch cinema owners previously cited an agreement between movie distributors and cinema owners that there must be a window of at least four months between the cinema release and the DVD release in order to maximise seat ticket sales.

In this case, Disney planned for the movie to hit Dutch big screens on March 10, followed on June 1 by the DVD launch.

"It's possible that others will follow," Bredewold said of the possibility that other cinemas would also break the boycott.

The Odeon chain on Thursday announced it would show the Tim Burton-directed film in all its theatres in Britain, Ireland and Italy after reaching a "lasting agreement" with Disney, having also initially announced a boycott.