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

[Dubstar]

I guess with Halloween next week, Lionsgate got a lot of IMAX and Dolby Cinema screens to commit to 'Jigsaw' (gonna check it out next Tuesday) - "horror sells"

[FAShaffi]

so I'm going to the BFI IMAX on Saturday for the first time to see "Thor: Ragnarok". I know that for digital presentations they use the 2K xenon projector, are these presentations windowboxed or does the image stretch to both sides of the screen? The reason I ask is because I know at Lincoln Square in NYC (another 1.43 IMAX screen), movies would be windowboxed with the xenon projectors.

[GLaDOS]

Originally Posted by FAShaffi

so I'm going to the BFI IMAX on Saturday for the first time to see "Thor: Ragnarok". I know that for digital presentations they use the 2K xenon projector, are these presentations windowboxed or does the image stretch to both sides of the screen? The reason I ask is because I know at Lincoln Square in NYC (another 1.43 IMAX screen), movies would be windowboxed with the xenon projectors.

Most likely it'll be windowboxed for BFI viewers since they still use the Xenon projectors. Lincoln Square upgraded their digital projectors to Laser last year so they get the fuller image.

I think you're better off seeing it at Leicester Square IMAX (LieMAX Laser) if you want the screen to fill up entirely.

[Visionist]

I'm pretty sure the 2K Xenon is always letterboxed at least at the BFI, unless they use the 35mm projector for stuff like the LOTR all-nighters. Been a couple years now since I was there though, I saw Spectre in 2K Xenon there and I swear it was letterboxed.

So can we now confirm no 1:44 for Justice League 15/70 & 4K Laser IMAX?

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by Visionist

I'm pretty sure the 2K Xenon is always letterboxed at least at the BFI, unless they use the 35mm projector for stuff like the LOTR all-nighters. Been a couple years now since I was there though, I saw Spectre in 2K Xenon there and I swear it was letterboxed.

So can we now confirm no 1:44 for Justice League 15/70 & 4K Laser IMAX?

If BFI is same size or close to Lincoln Square, it should be windowboxed, as there is a limit to the size to the Xenon projectors can light (I think around 80 feet, cause by eyeballing it, I would say the black bars on both sides during Lincoln Square's digital IMAX era were roughly 10 feet each).

Though, while they haven't done it for years, Lincoln Square used to host 35mm showings on the IMAX screen at night (I saw Pearl Harbor, Apocalypse Now Redux, and Fellowship of the Ring that way) and I'm almost positive those were windowboxed as well and used less of the screen then the Xenon showings did years later.

[ITDEFX101]

So any word about Thor 3's presentation?

[UFAlien]

Originally Posted by GLaDOS

I think you're better off seeing it at Leicester Square IMAX (LieMAX Laser) if you want the screen to fill up entirely.

For Thor 3 Leicester Square is the better choice. The screen is 1.90:1 but Thor isn't full-height anyway, and the screen is actually slightly wider than BFI's (and since Leicester uses Laser instead of Xenon, the full width is usable).

[FAShaffi]

Thank you so much for the help guys! my cousin already booked tickets for the BFI so I will be there, but I went to the Leicester Square IMAX for Kingsman, and it is pretty amazing, I'm booking my Justice League tickets there soon, so excited!

[GLaDOS]

Originally Posted by ITDEFX101

So any word about Thor 3's presentation?

Thor 3 is specially formatted for IMAX (either it'll open up in 1.90:1 in its entirety or for select sequences like Doctor Strange).

[FAShaffi]

so I just got back from "Thor" at BFI IMAX and surprisingly, it wasn't windowboxed! It filled the screen side to side and select scenes were in 1.90 IMAX framing, overall it was a pretty good presentation I thought, I'm pleasantly surprised!

[Geoff D]

Yeah, I didn't wanna chip in before but I've seen several 2K digital presentations at the BFI IMAX (albeit of regular DCPs, not IMAX special sauce ones) and I don't recall any of them being windowboxed (which means bars at the sides, not just top and bottom as Visionist seemed to think). People are also forgetting that the BFI's screen is 1.30:1 (shout out to anton for picking up on that) so it's narrower anyway. [edit] But this Lincoln Square place appears to be 1.30 as well

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by FAShaffi

so I just got back from "Thor" at BFI IMAX and surprisingly, it wasn't windowboxed! It filled the screen side to side and select scenes were in 1.90 IMAX framing, overall it was a pretty good presentation I thought, I'm pleasantly surprised!

That's good to hear. Sure, I don't think the Xenon projector holds up to 15/70 or laser, but it's still a nice looking image. And it was the large black bars on the sides, and not the image quality itself, that bugged me when Lincoln Square was using those projectors.

Somewhat related, anyone know what is going on with the laser rollout? I've heard 70-75 theaters were signed up to get the system, and I believe the target to fill them was this Fall. But if anything, looks like laser installation paced has slowed from where it was in 2015 and 2016, and currently are 45 worldwide sites, with as far as I can tell, only one new laser site in the U.S. so far in 2017.

[Scorpion Soldier]

Originally Posted by GLaDOS

Thor 3 is specially formatted for IMAX (either it'll open up in 1.90:1 in its entirety or for select sequences like Doctor Strange).

Select sequences, though like Doctor Strange and Guardians, there's a lot of it

Guessing they'll do the same for Black Panther since I believe they're shooting that with the Alexa 65 as well, making it a likely candidate.

[GLaDOS]

Originally Posted by Scorpion Soldier

Select sequences, though like Doctor Strange and Guardians, there's a lot of it

Guessing they'll do the same for Black Panther since I believe they're shooting that with the Alexa 65 as well, making it a likely candidate.

It's more of the fact that a movie is shot spherical that you get the expanded aspect ratio in IMAX. Camera choice doesn't really matter (BR2049 was opened up to 1.90:1 and it was primarily shot on Alexa XT)

[Scorpion Soldier]

Originally Posted by GLaDOS

It's more of the fact that a movie is shot spherical that you get the expanded aspect ratio in IMAX. Camera choice doesn't really matter (BR2049 was opened up to 1.90:1 and it was primarily shot on Alexa XT)

Aware of the fact, should've been more specific and said their Alexa 65 setup, which has been consistently the same aside from Guardians and Spider-Man.

[ITDEFX101]

Has anyone notice IMAX 3d is getting less movie time then regular IMAX? Justice League in my area shows NO IMAX 3d...which is fine by me.

[StarWarsIsAwesome123]

Originally Posted by ITDEFX101

Has anyone notice IMAX 3d is getting less movie time then regular IMAX? Justice League in my area shows NO IMAX 3d...which is fine by me.

Yes they announced a couple months ago that they would focus less on 3D.

[testmon112]

Any can confirm if there is gonna be a DMR Blow up of justice league? One the IMAX Laser near says 'expanded ratio' but I'm not sure if it's just 1.9:1 or they might go to 1.44:1

[Visionist]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Yeah, I didn't wanna chip in before but I've seen several 2K digital presentations at the BFI IMAX (albeit of regular DCPs, not IMAX special sauce ones) and I don't recall any of them being windowboxed (which means bars at the sides, not just top and bottom as Visionist seemed to think).

"I'm pretty sure the 2K Xenon is always letterboxed at least at the BFI"

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by testmon112

Any can confirm if there is gonna be a DMR Blow up of justice league? One the IMAX Laser near says 'expanded ratio' but I'm not sure if it's just 1.9:1 or they might go to 1.44:1

It might go to 1.85 (the digital IMAX version should involve a slight amount of cropping), but I doubt beyond that.

As far as I'm aware, they've never done an expanded ratio version just for 1.44 screens with a flat title (I know the filmmakers said one of the reasons to do JL flat was it would fit IMAX better), and don't see them doing so for a couple dozen screens worldwide.