Large Format/"Premium" Theaters (IMAX 15/70, Digital IMAX, XD, ETX, RPX, etc.)

[CelluloidPal]

Originally Posted by Dubstar

well supposedly Regal's are supposed to get IMAX laser upgrades from what I had read in an online story of April of last year, but the manager over at the Majestic (Silver Spring) was completely clueless - in general Regal is run like a three ring circus and/or like that classic "Who's on first' comedy sketch. I'd be curious to hear what sort of reaction/answer you'd get in asking the managers over oat Manassas or Gainesville.

and for the record, the recliners over at Regal Rockville are ridiculous - recliners now resemble beds when fully reclined - seeing folk practically lying down borders on 'tackiness' in my mind, but that's another subject altogether.

So true. The Majestic is one that I would go unless absolutely necessary...and it's the closest theater to me. Regal's Hyattsville theater might not have IMAX but at least, they screen stuff right and fix any issues that goes down.

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by GLaDOS

Apparently, the Maryland Science Center (a real IMAX venue) has upgraded to Laser projection, and their first Hollywood showing will be Captain Marvel.

do you know if they ditched, or were able to retain their 15/70 projector in the conversion?

[benji888578]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

It is frustrating to see IMAX running away from 3D. I see Captain Marvel is getting expanded IMAX scenes but no 3D (in IMAX) and it’s getting very hard to find premium 3D theaters. IMAX has two projectors which translates to bright and awesome 3D. So frustrating they are abandoning it.

I tried to find the Captain Marvel thread but it got locked. Apparently the behind the scenes shenanigans are ruining discussions everywhere.

It is frustrating...however, it’s available in both IMAX 3D & 2D, so it’s up to the individual cinema. My local IMAX doesn’t usually post showtimes for the weekend until Tuesday late afternoon or Wednesday.

Maybe we should contact our individual IMAX’s and tell them IMAX 3D or not buying tickets? (Edit: I just did this)

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by benji888578

It is frustrating...however, it’s available in both IMAX 3D & 2D, so it’s up to the individual cinema. My local IMAX doesn’t usually post showtimes for the weekend until Tuesday late afternoon or Wednesday.

Maybe we should contact our individual IMAX’s and tell them IMAX 3D or not buying tickets? (Edit: I just did this)

Actually, unlike regular format showings, IMAX controls the bookings, not the theaters themselves, though I believe they do collaborate with studios on format decisions.

And beyond just the four IMAXes closest to me, I went to the Captain Marvel IMAX page and got about a dozen theaters, all showing it only in 2D, so I’m guessing it is IMAX 2D only at least in the US

[GLaDOS]

Originally Posted by Dubstar

do you know if they ditched, or were able to retain their 15/70 projector in the conversion?

I have a feeling they ditched it since the theater was closed for a while ( ). I'll ask.

[rush0024]

Questions about the 70mm Imax theatre at the Indiana State Museum...

I have seen two films there, BvS and Dunkirk. Both we're displayed in full screen, but I believe some scenes were not.

What is it like to see a normal Imax movie there? Is it even worth going there unless the film was shot on 70mm format?

I'm thinking about going to see End Game there, but is it worth it? I know it was shot entirely of Imax digital and not 70mm. So do they expand the image for that screen?

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by rush0024

Questions about the 70mm Imax theatre at the Indiana State Museum...

I have seen two films there, BvS and Dunkirk. Both we're displayed in full screen, but I believe some scenes were not.

What is it like to see a normal Imax movie there? Is it even worth going there unless the film was shot on 70mm format?

I'm thinking about going to see End Game there, but is it worth it? I know it was shot entirely of Imax digital and not 70mm. So do they expand the image for that screen?

Infinity War was presented in 1:90.1 Aspect ratio for the whole movie and only in IMAX theaters. I’m assuming it will be the same for Endgame.

[Geoff D]

The two movies were shot back to back. So yes, fixed 1.90 is a given for de IMAX version.

[rush0024]

So just to be clear, films shot in digital Imax, but in 1.90 ratio, will be presented in full screen at the Indiana State Museum? Wouldn't it need to be presented in 1.33 (4:3) to fill the entire screen?

[rush0024]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

The two movies were shot back to back. So yes, fixed 1.90 is a given for de IMAX version.

Indiana State Museum is a real 15/70 Imax.

Can digital Imax 1.90 be converted to 4:3 which is 70mm film aspect ratio?

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by rush0024

Indiana State Museum is a real 15/70 Imax.

Can digital Imax 1.90 be converted to 4:3 which is 70mm film aspect ratio?

if you're asking if a projectionist would create a faux crop to fill a 4:3 screen - that would be a terrible idea.

[Dreamliner330]

Originally Posted by rush0024

Indiana State Museum is a real 15/70 Imax.

Can digital Imax 1.90 be converted to 4:3 which is 70mm film aspect ratio?

The real solution is to replace the 1.90 digital 2k system with the new 4:3 Laser 4K system to fill the whole screen (still needs content) and give a resolution bump. IMAX cheaped out at the Minnesota Zoo 4:3 theater and put in the 2k 1.90 system. They even spent money on all new seats. Apparently it didn’t work as they abruptly closed a couple months ago.

People have passed on quality for convenience. It’s sad but true.

[Geoff D]

The laser 4K system is still 4096x2160 i.e. 1.90 'native'. I can only think that they use a type of anamorphic lens to stretch the image vertically when using these projectors in 1.44 mode (thus requiring a specially squeezed DCP just for those venues).

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

The real solution is to replace the 1.90 digital 2k system with the new 4:3 Laser 4K system to fill the whole screen (still needs content) and give a resolution bump. IMAX cheaped out at the Minnesota Zoo 4:3 theater and put in the 2k 1.90 system. They even spent money on all new seats. Apparently it didn’t work as they abruptly closed a couple months ago.

People have passed on quality for convenience. It’s sad but true.

extracted from the StarTribune news story:

"Loren Williams, who owns several Twin Cities theaters including the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis, said the Apple Valley theater may have suffered from having fewer amenities than newer theaters, despite its screen size.

“The zoo theater doesn’t have recliners or as many concessions as some of the newer theaters,” he said.

The Marcus theaters in Shakopee and Rosemount both have recliners, for example.

The closing won’t be the end of Imax in the Twin Cities. The Science Museum in St. Paul has a 90-foot, two-dimensional dome screen. Movie theaters in the Rosedale and Southdale centers, Maple Grove, Eden Prairie and Burnsville also have licenses with Imax, although their screens are smaller than the Apple Valley or St. Paul locations.

The theater has always been operated by Imax and did not contribute to the zoo’s revenue. The Science Museum of Minnesota owns and operates its Imax theater and made a one-time payment to Imax for licensing rights."

~

so the lack of recliners killed it, that's just pathetic.

[rush0024]

So I'm not making any progress here....

From what information I've gathered... End Game was shot in 1.90 Digital Imax, and it's showing at the Imax Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, which is a true 15/70 Imax, which at full screen, is a 4:3 format.

So if I was to go see End Game there, it would still be displayed in 1.90, and it will be the same exact size as a LieMax screen, and not a full screen presentation like when seeing Dunkirk.

Did anyone see Infinity War there? Can anyone confirm what I'm saying?

[Dreamliner330]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

The laser 4K system is still 4096x2160 i.e. 1.90 'native'. I can only think that they use a type of anamorphic lens to stretch the image vertically when using these projectors in 1.44 mode (thus requiring a specially squeezed DCP just for those venues).

I did not know that.

Originally Posted by Dubstar

extracted from the StarTribune news story:

"Loren Williams, who owns several Twin Cities theaters including the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis, said the Apple Valley theater may have suffered from having fewer amenities than newer theaters, despite its screen size.

“The zoo theater doesn’t have recliners or as many concessions as some of the newer theaters,” he said.

The Marcus theaters in Shakopee and Rosemount both have recliners, for example.

The closing won’t be the end of Imax in the Twin Cities. The Science Museum in St. Paul has a 90-foot, two-dimensional dome screen. Movie theaters in the Rosedale and Southdale centers, Maple Grove, Eden Prairie and Burnsville also have licenses with Imax, although their screens are smaller than the Apple Valley or St. Paul locations.

The theater has always been operated by Imax and did not contribute to the zoo’s revenue. The Science Museum of Minnesota owns and operates its Imax theater and made a one-time payment to Imax for licensing rights."

~

so the lack of recliners killed it, that's just pathetic.

It wasn’t the lack of recliners, it was the lack of sales. They can say it was because of the recliners but that isn’t true. They were charging $18 for a ticket on weekday afternoons and the theater was empty.

They could have generated plenty of revenue if they actually implemented something I’ve been saying for ages: IMAX Encore.

Every theater only has one IMAX screen. Across the board they need to cycle in encores of older popular movies during they day. They also need to offer 3D and 2D for all presentations. There is enough show times daily to accomplish this. Even just 4 showings a week in 3D or something, people who actually like 3D will fill in and pay more and everyone else can go to 2D showings.

Underperforming titles can cycle in more Encore titles to make up revenue instead of sitting empty.

Every time IMAX has a limited run or special 3D rerelease it is always noticeably busier (the Interstellar IMAX Encore that came out a few months after original release sold out, the numbers are there).

They can whine about licensing and contracts all they want, but they can also change the terms for new screenings. The age of running a single movie for 4+ weeks and expecting ROI is over. Except for maybe week one, every IMAX screen should be showing more than one title every day. Get those butts in seats by varying content. Simple.

Encore and format screen sharing is the answer theaters and IMAX needs.

[Connoralpha]

Originally Posted by rush0024

So I'm not making any progress here....

From what information I've gathered... End Game was shot in 1.90 Digital Imax, and it's showing at the Imax Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, which is a true 15/70 Imax, which at full screen, is a 4:3 format.

So if I was to go see End Game there, it would still be displayed in 1.90, and it will be the same exact size as a LieMax screen, and not a full screen presentation like when seeing Dunkirk.

Did anyone see Infinity War there? Can anyone confirm what I'm saying?

You are correct. IMAX confirmed that it's the 1.9 ratio as opposed to the full 1.43 https://www.imax.com/news/avengers-e...h-imax-cameras

Indiana State Museum may be larger in size overall than some LieMax screens, but the aspect ratio will be the same. It will not be a full screen presentation.

[UFAlien]

Originally Posted by rush0024

So if I was to go see End Game there, it would still be displayed in 1.90, and it will be the same exact size as a LieMax screen, and not a full screen presentation like when seeing Dunkirk.

It would probably still be a bigger image than you'd get at any local IMAX Digital screen. The aspect ratio will be the same but the Indiana State Museum IMAX screen is significantly wider than any other IMAX screen in the area, in addition to its height.

That said there's a decent chance that it won't be able to use the full width of the screen either, since the museum's only got a 2K projector which isn't meant to fill screens that big.

Still it's definitely got the POTENTIAL for the biggest image in the area as the screen is 84 feet wide. As for other Indianapolis theatres, the AMC Indianapolis 17's screen is 70 feet wide, the Hamilton 16's is 69 feet, and the AMC Showplace Trader's Point is only 50 feet wide.

[rush0024]

Originally Posted by UFAlien

It would probably still be a bigger image than you'd get at any local IMAX Digital screen. The aspect ratio will be the same but the Indiana State Museum IMAX screen is significantly wider than any other IMAX screen in the area, in addition to its height.

That said there's a decent chance that it won't be able to use the full width of the screen either, since the museum's only got a 2K projector which isn't meant to fill screens that big.

Still it's definitely got the POTENTIAL for the biggest image in the area as the screen is 84 feet wide. As for other Indianapolis theatres, the AMC Indianapolis 17's screen is 70 feet wide, the Hamilton 16's is 69 feet, and the AMC Showplace Trader's Point is only 50 feet wide.

How do you know the size of all those screens? I live in the Louisville area, would love to know the sizes of all the ones out here. Is there a website that has this information?

[UFAlien]

Originally Posted by rush0024

How do you know the size of all those screens? I live in the Louisville area, would love to know the sizes of all the ones out here. Is there a website that has this information?

I get the information mostly from Large Format Examiner. Their website is kind of a pain to navigate though so I also use it and other sources to maintain a Google Maps listing of commercial IMAX theatres.

I'm in the process of updating it right now (AMC is driving me crazy with changes and new installations) but here's the link:

Commerical IMAX Theatres