Do not see a movie in IMAX unless it was made for it.

[ultlife2013]

Regarding the loudness of IMAX screenings. I think that where you sit is very important to avoid those kind of issues.

[DoubleDownAgain]

Never had a bad IMAX experience, but only went to a handful.

[Scorpion Soldier]

Originally Posted by DoubleDownAgain

Never had a bad IMAX experience.

Pretty much same thing here. Only bad experience I've had was The Lone Ranger which had a pretty terrible dmr job in my opinion.

[duggie walker]

I completely agree with the second point. In London, the BFI have a pretty good IMAX screen but I'm sick of these horrible up-converts and all the artificial sharpening and attendant noise. At worst, it's like watching something akin to a projected dvd. I'm over the idea that IMAX is, in itself, a better way to watch movies.

Unfortunately, the IMAX brand seems to have really hooked itself into the public consciousness. We're steadily losing the big, regular cinemas as they're converted to multiplexes and Liemax venues. The only cinema equipped with Dolby Atmos here - the Empire, a big, beautiful art-deco auditorium - is currently undergoing the latter transformation, which means there's nowhere in London with Atmos capability. To my great regret, I've yet to see a film in that format.

I really think that very soon, IMAX/LIEMAX is going to be the only way of seeing a theatrical release on an impressively-sized screen and we'll just have to swallow the horrible DMR process.

[Todd Tomorrow]

I saw Super 8 at an IMAX and it was clear that it was never meant to be screened at that size. It didn't look very sharp and looked a little like I when I watch a DVD on my projector instead of a Blu-ray. Bigger isn't always better.

[BD3Dfan]

Originally Posted by duggie walker

...The only cinema equipped with Dolby Atmos here - the Empire, a big, beautiful art-deco auditorium - is currently undergoing the latter transformation, which means there's nowhere in London with Atmos capability. To my great regret, I've yet to see a film in that format...

Actually, Empire is also adding an Impact screen which'll include Dolby Atmos. Unfortunately, if their building track record is anything to be said (No new Ealing cinema, scaled back revamp in Newcastle from Impact and new screens to just the studio screens and the foyer), it'll be a long time before Atmos returns, leaving IMAX there.

TBH, IMAX seems to be desperately holding on to its audience. I'm waiting for a film that was actually shot with IMAX cameras to get a Digital-Only release, nullifying the point of the whole IMAX frame. They know they're going away from what they were and are trying to cling onto its audience. I've seen what cinema-brand large screens can do, and Atmos is a lot better than IMAX's sound system. As long as the audience sees IMAX and automatically thinks it's better, IMAX will continue to degenerate. Think of it like Apple. We're now in the 'Tim Cook' era, not the 'Steve Jobs' era.

[xander]

Originally Posted by BaerGriggs

So true. All IMAX does is make everything so loud that the average moviegoer thinks its automatically better. The AMC Prime theater in Kansas City used Dolby Atmos and has at least 60 speakers with transducers. Desolation of Smaug was incredible with that.

Thanks for your post. Somehow I missed this and am super excited to find out. I usually go to Olathe for the Cinema Suites experience but will have to hit Barrywood this week to try this.

[Aerodude73]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

Ditto.

[Poya]

Originally Posted by ultlife2013

Regarding the loudness of IMAX screenings. I think that where you sit is very important to avoid those kind of issues.

I sit in the middle.

[ultlife2013]

Originally Posted by Poya

I sit in the middle.

Jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

[42041]

Originally Posted by Poya

4K is nothing compared to 70mm. It's nothing compared to 35mm, even. Theoretically, you can get an 8K scan out of a 35mm frame. It may lose some theoretical resolution when it's projected but it's still superior.

But by the time that 70mm goes through several generations of printing, 4K digital is not far off, and how many movies that get IMAX release are shot on IMAX cameras anyway? I haven't been keeping track, but surely it's still less than 10 total. For everything not shot on 70mm, 4K laser projection should be superior.

And 35mm projection is not higher resolution than 4K in any situation. You'd be lucky to scrape that much off the original negative, let alone anything downstream. I don't know where these tall tales about 35mm film's stupendous resolution come from, an oversampled 4K digital image will mop the floor with it detail-wise.

[MrsMiniver]

Originally Posted by tezster

Some of you must have really crap local IMAX theaters where you live... although there's a price premium, there's simply no comparison between the increased immersion of a (much) larger screen, better seats, and overall better presentation afforded in a quality IMAX theater. I've seen Gravity, the Hobbit: DoS recently, and the experience was immensely satisfying.

The only thing a traditional non-IMAX theater has going for it is the capability for playing a Dolby:Atmos mix.

Originally Posted by DoubleDownAgain

Never had a bad IMAX experience, but only went to a handful.

The OP is just a hater. I like IMAX, sure the digital version is not the same as 70MM but I like it better than anything else. IMAX makes going to event movies fun. I saw Catching Fire, Jack Ryan and RoboCop in IMAX, I had a great time at each of them.

[Poya]

Originally Posted by MrsMiniver

The OP is just a hater. I like IMAX, sure the digital version is not the same as 70MM but I like it better than anything else. IMAX makes going to event movies fun.

I'm not a hater. I'm just stating the facts that films that weren't made for IMAX ago under a process that make them look bad. Watching them in another premium format is far better because there isn't any of the digital processing.

[WhySoCereal]

IMAX is fine and all, but my movie going group makes me see way too many movies in the format. That being said, can we get a master list of upcoming movies in IMAX and whether or not they SHOULD be seen in IMAX or not.

[Infernal King]

Is Godzilla being made for IMAX?

[Poya]

Originally Posted by WhySoCereal

IMAX is fine and all, but my movie going group makes me see way too many movies in the format. That being said, can we get a master list of upcoming movies in IMAX and whether or not they SHOULD be seen in IMAX or not.

Sure:

RoboCop (No. Shot in Alexa and Red Epic with 2K DI)
Pompeii (No, shot in Alexa)
300: Rise of an Empire (No, shot on Red Epic in 2K DI)
Divergent (No, shot on Alexa)
Noah (No, shot on film with select scenes in Alexa)
Transcendence (Maybe, shot on film with no DI)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (No, shot on film)
Godzilla (No, shot in Alexa, watch it in Atmos)
Edge of Tomorrow (No, but shot on film)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (No, despite inferior IMAX camera)
Jupiter Ascending (No, shot in Alexa)
Interstellar (Yes, some scenes shot in the format)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One (No, shot in Alexa)
The Hobbit: There and Back Again (Only if in IMAX HFR)

[evoxturbo]

I saw Fast Five in IMAX and it was awesome. They presented it in 2:35:1 aspect ratio and it looked amazing. The sound was tremendous.

I saw Skyfall in IMAX and it was like 16:9 aspect ratio and it looked bad.

[Poya]

Originally Posted by evoxturbo

I saw Fast Five in IMAX and it was awesome. They presented it in 2:35:1 aspect ratio and it looked amazing. The sound was tremendous.

I saw Skyfall in IMAX and it was like 16:9 aspect ratio and it looked bad.

The aspect ratio was 1.89:1 and it didn't go through a DMR. I would think it would look good, but then again, digital.

[evoxturbo]

Maybe because it was in a true IMAX with a 5 or 7 story screen. The 1:89 aspect ration looked inflated or blown up. Fast Five looked more natural.

[JavaJulien]

Saw Gravity in IMAX 3D last weekend. If there was ever a movie worth the price of admission, it was that one.