AMC & IMAX Team Up For Theater Expansion

I would say that it was a matter of time, but after films like The Dark Knight seemed to make IMAX theaters monetarily viable, it looked like they had seen their hay day. Well, that’s all about to change, or at least if AMC has anything to say about it.

According to Yahoo News, IMAX Corp. has said that they will be opening 15 to 25 new theaters nationwide, as a venture with movie theater giant, AMC. This would be in addition to the 104 IMAX theaters that are already agreed upon by the companies, with 79 of them already open, and 25 opening this year.

Personally, while I am rather vocal with my dislike for 3D, I’m a pretty big fan of IMAX. If films like The Dark Knight have proved anything, it’s that the giant screens do indeed and quite a bit of immersion to the film. While there have been controversy over the marketing of IMAX, and the differences between their theaters, I do really enjoy seeing a big, summer tentpole film in the giant IMAX format.

At least it’s not more 3D screens. For thank, I am thankful.

Source: Yahoo

2 comments

Cinema Cathedral says:

June 2, 2010 at 6:20 am

I'm with you on the hatred of 3D, which I believe belongs on the scrapheap of idiotic theatrical formats the same way pan & scan does for home video formatting embraced by the gullible and misinformed.

My big question, which you've already alluded to regarding this IMAX story, is if the more expensive ticket price at these AMC theaters would provide viewers with what some of us call 'True IMAX' or if they're just more of the controversial, quickie/cost-saving 'faux Imax' retrofits that they've been doing to bump up ticket prices while not really adding the more immersive experience of the giant screens which were usually equated with the IMAX brand name. “You have to spend money to make money”, or so the saying once went, and I'm tired of snake oil salesmen from lazy Hollywood companies pulling a bait & switch to raise tickets prices without any real 'value added' to increase my enjoyment of the cinema experience. I'll skip the rant (for now) about how trying to replace all film projectors with digital delivery systems basically turns our movie theaters into overpriced communal Blu-Ray machines…
Cinema Cathedral says:

June 2, 2010 at 1:20 pm

I'm with you on the hatred of 3D, which I believe belongs on the scrapheap of idiotic theatrical formats the same way pan & scan does for home video formatting embraced by the gullible and misinformed.

My big question, which you've already alluded to regarding this IMAX story, is if the more expensive ticket price at these AMC theaters would provide viewers with what some of us call 'True IMAX' or if they're just more of the controversial, quickie/cost-saving 'faux Imax' retrofits that they've been doing to bump up ticket prices while not really adding the more immersive experience of the giant screens which were usually equated with the IMAX brand name. “You have to spend money to make money”, or so the saying once went, and I'm tired of snake oil salesmen from lazy Hollywood companies pulling a bait & switch to raise tickets prices without any real 'value added' to increase my enjoyment of the cinema experience. I'll skip the rant (for now) about how trying to replace all film projectors with digital delivery systems basically turns our movie theaters into overpriced communal Blu-Ray machines…