I saw my first IMAX digital movie (“Eagle Eye”) at the AMC Columbia 14. It wasn’t anything spectacular to watch compared to other digital movies. The auditorium was no larger than one of the larger AMC theaters but not bigger than the largest one. The screen size was probably 50-60 ft wide, which is about the size of our Muvico’s DLP screen. As with the non-IMAX DP movies, the colors were bright but not exaggerated, no spotting, blotches or flickering. The only major difference is the admission price of $13!!! Was it worth it? No. I’ll visit the other 2 IMAX screens to see if there is an appreciable size difference. Maybe an animated movie will look better in this format. We’ll see next month with Madagascar 2.
My friend and I saw my first IMAX Digital(?) in #1. To be honest, I was disappointed after all the brouhaha about I-M-A-X coming to my local cinemas. The auditorium, itself, is no larger than some of the regular AMC theaters. The screen, itself, didn’t seem larger than 50-60' at most. The movie we saw, “Eagle Eye” was decent enough with a very clear picture, decent color and surrounds but it was masked for scope as there was space above and below the screen, not much above regular AMC’s other screens. For $13 a ticket, its too much of a premium for a less than spectacular presentation.
My friend and I saw “Ghost Town” in number 1. It was a schnoozer of a movie. Sightlines, picture and sound were quite good. I had thought 1 was the largest but it seems 3 and 9 are since there is a stairway to those two as you enter into the complex. I hope to catch a movie one of the larger ones soon. I did sneak in to see how big #3 was since it was showing ‘Igor’ and yes, its quite large.
I, too, vividly remember when this movie came out and have been an admirer of Doug Trumbull’s body of work since 2001: A Space Odyssey. The quality and style of his work, at least to me, seemed more realistic when it came to the space epics (2001, Close Encounters, the first Star Trek movie and Blade Runner) than anything ILM and or John Dykstra have done together or independantly. Why? His preference to use 65mm film to standard 35mm. Superior clarity, little to no grain and projected photorealism (in 70mm). Give me your tired, your poor original 70mm print of the above mentioned movies over any blown-up Star Wars movie any day… :)
My memories of this film are documented in the MacArthur theater section and I believe it deserved to do better than it did. I suppose there was just too much bad press associated with the movie with Natalie Wood’s drowning and her role in the movie being her last. Having read some press about the movie and knowing its tight financial constraints that led it to be ‘barely’ completed, perhaps the new Cruise/Wagoner regime, at UA, would allow a ‘Director’s Cut’ edition for the Blu-Ray DVD. And, please let it be the original 2:20 and 1:66 combination not a straight 2:35 throughout. What was enjoyable about the movie was when you went from 35mm mono and 1:66 to to 70mm 6track 2:20 for the surreal and point of view scenes and visual effects.
On another note, I would like to say I had the opportunity to frequent one of the first Showscan theaters in Virginia way back in 1983. I’m not sure if it preceded this movie or came after but the time frame was tight. There were 2 or 3 ‘short’ films that showed off some of the whiz factor of fast frame 70mm projection. To call it video would be an injustice because some scenes, as in one short where the intro showed a woman on screen as if she was actually live in front of you behind the movie screen talking. Some of the shots could have been pulled or shot at the same time as Brainstorm as I do remember a point-of-view shot of a truck that then seems to go off the road as the camera takes you on an aerial journey and maybe one of the journey-to-heaven shots. I believe the plan, at the time, was to have Showscan with these pizza parlors all over the country. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out. I remember going back in ‘86 to watch a Showscan movie but was told that it was only available for rentals. Oh well.
Michael, thanks for your hard work and insightful remembrance of Cinerama. Unfortunately, I’m too young to have attended any of those Cinerama events. :(
I know the Uptown and Warner theaters well but have never seen a movie shown inside of the Warner at any time as they have mostly live performances nowadays. Now the Uptown has an auditorium with a huge curved screen so its easy to imagine how Cinerama could have been. On the other hand, the Warner today seems so small, I can’t imagine how it could show Cinerama with the same theatrical impact as the Uptown, unless the current set up somehow gave up front space for a much, much larger screen that is now gone. Also, were there any other Cinerama theaters besides these two in the DC area? I had thought there were more than two, but I may be confused with Baltimore that may have had more than two.
Its interesting to note that the White Marsh IMAX has a THX cert, according to Fandango, but no on the THX site, itself. Unless an update is coming soon since the recent install.
So much for the revitalization project. I haven’t been by there in a few years but its sad to read that the property has been allowed to deteriorate the way it is described.
What I don’t get is a plex out in hicksville gets the royal cinema treatment, whereas the Regals in and around the DC Metro area, most of which are in dire need of upgrading are ignored. Since when is Fredericksburg VA such a growing motion picture exhibition market?
I have to agree with you Scott on this one. Though I haven’t seen a film here in years, it would not be fair to say that the place had horrible exhibition. The Grand Theater, which is the only THX cert one of the bunch, never disappointed me with the movies I’ve seen there. The other one two auditoriums down (name escapes me) was pretty good as well. No curtains but the neon signs depicting the names of grand DC theaters of yesteryear are a nice touch unseen in other AMC venues in this area.
Granted, the area is not in the best part of town and there are sometimes riff raff urbanite customers that need to be taught proper theater etiquette. With the opening of the Regal Gallery Place, its a given this place took a hit. Perhaps they should have counterprogrammed and not just show the same films here as everywhere else. Lower prices maybe? Touted their superior Grand Theater sound set up?
Oh another thing is they only validate two hours of free parking. Depending on who is at the ticket booth, they’ll give you 10-15 minutes of grace or charge you after the 2 hours is up. It gets dicey if you don’t know you’re going to pay for that parking after shelling out $20 for a pair of tickets, too.
Speaking about Transformers, I did see both the IMAX and 35mm versions and I’m hard pressed to denote the difference without taking notes of each presentation. To be honest, I thought the 35mm one in a THX Cert theater (BowTie Annapolis #1 auditorium) was better as I recall my niece and I slightly dodging and weaving during the bot fight scenes. Sound was coming out from everywhere as the sound booms from impacts and movements.
The IMAX presentation at the Regal King of Prussia plex was good but I remember the movie being masked once again leaving lots of screen space above and below the projected film. To me, that detracts from being absorbed/enthralled somewhat by the movie and in such a visual/aural presentation thats not an ideal thing.
Gary, to be honest, I don’t exactly remember. The last movie I saw there was “Happy Feet” in DLP and that particular large auditorium didn’t have the Egyptian decor inside. On the other hand, I haven’t been in the rest of the 23 to know with certainty. The hallways do carry on the decor though to an extent.
The Egyptian motif for this megaplex is a sight to behold. My relatives love coming here to enjoy the ancient atmosphere from the heiroglyphic wall paper to the enormous sphinxes.
Presentation wise the place is a mixed bag. At times, it can be spectacular especially in the largest auditoriums and then at other times, its underwhelming due mostly to the low sound levels and lack of surround. If you don’t feel enveloped watching a movie, then you’re not experiencing it the way you should.
What prevents me from coming back regularly is for the fact they do not regularly advertise that they have digital projection movies booked either on their website or in the Washington Post newspaper. Now, when its a 3D Digital movie, its obvious because usually the title is a giveaway. I’ve called and spoken to someone who didn’t know the difference or gave erroneous information. A letter sent to their office yielded a manager response to find out what is showing in #7 and #18; their digital theaters. Bah! Supposedly Muvico was to move to all Sony 4K projection systems, I suspect this has not happened yet as there have been no announcements.
Having driven by this place and, for the fact that the sign says for “lease”, its not “for sale.” Unless I’m missing something. Since my memories are only of its twinned operation, its hard for me to imagine it was ever larger than the Uptown in its original configuration. The ceiling seems too low for one, unless during the chopping process, portions of the useable area were quartered off some how. If its ever to come back, I suspect those unused spaces could become useable again. Maybe an upstairs exhibition auditorium or two? Vertically, I think it could be done..especially if there were crying rooms up there at one time.
You know I could have sworn that the Moviewatcher site, which links showtimes to the AMC home page indicated that there was a DP presentation of a movie several weeks ago at Mazza. I didn’t make much of it as I had seen the movie. I’m guessing it was Kung Fu Panda or one of the other animated films but have not seen anything since. Perhaps, it was a mistake. If you have noticed, it seems that at least one auditorium in the newer AMCs has digital. It seems they are moving slower than Regal here to outfit their plexes with all digital auditoriums.
Benjamin Button looks interesting from the preview I saw. Brad Pitt regresses from old age to his youth or something along those lines and Cate Blanchett is his co-star. It looks like an interesting pairing and story. HS Musical 3? I’ll pass. Don’t know much about the others. I bet the Ziegfeld will get DP versions of those movies, if not most.
Aren’t 6 and 7 the auditoriums with the leather love seats that serve alcohol during the week? If so, thats pretty bad they aren’t keeping up with maintenance. They charge more for those auditoriums don’t they? I wanted to see Mummy 3 there..thinking since its gone from my favorite THX plex in Annapolis. I guess I’ll have to go to Tysons.
Giles, you should fill out a comment card on the THX website about your bad experience. Since the place is supposed to be THX certified, the presentation should not have been so lackluster especially one like the fx-laden Mummy.
For me at least, I can’t say I’m not thrilled by the aspect that one of the main contributors to my disgust for current day cinema attendance – is on screen advertising- and they’re not making a lot of money? Boo Hoo.
Terry, I’m not sure why they couldn’t have built a bigger screen then the one they have now. If they were following the restoration to a T and the original screen was 40 ft then that would explain it. There could be ample space if they did away with some of the ornamentation.
As far as the speaker specs, there was a discussion on the theater discussion page here on CT. FWIW, the Historic auditorium and the two smaller ones are all THX certified so you can be assured that the quality of the sound is optimal. As great as it is to watch 2001 in the Historic Auditorium, 40' is small for a film of that scope to be immersed into experiencing the ‘ulimate trip.’ I’m big on sound and picture myself back to the days when 70mm releases (albeit mostly blow ups were the norm) in the late 70s and 80s. You’re absolutely right about speaker placement and large screens being important for the making of a great theatrical experience.
Its flat as far as I know and about 40' wide. Its not as immersive as say a viewing at the Uptown would be but at least it has regular annual showings here. I wish they would show other 70mm than just this film and 2001.
We’ve debated the film vs digital format over and over but, sorry, I have to say that in the case of Regal and AMC in the DC metro market, where many of their venues have lousy scratchy film projection anyway, digital is, indeed superior.
Ken, I forgot to mention prices but it seems everybody is charging about $10 in this market per adult ticket during peak hours. Expensive, yes, but with everything else going up, what is one to do except wait for the DVD or cable release. I still enjoy going to the movies on opening weekend, preferably a full house enjoying the entertainment on screen. If it ever gets up to $15 on a regular basis, maybe I’ll think twice about it but then again, IMAX is charging that much and in the case of a film like the latest Batman, it was worth it.
Part of the problem is they do little to advertise the difference between film and digital projection. No house boards, no on screen trailer of the format like some other venues do. If you don’t educate the public on the difference, they won’t appreciate the difference.
Another is, of course, the much complained about customer service and projection quality, or lack thereof. If you have staff who don’t care about the customer or people in the booth who know what they’re doing, its obvious your customer isn’t going to come back.
Congratulations!! So now that you’ve made a success of your new venue, when can we expect a 70mm festival? Let us know, I’ll be happy to drive down for a visit. Your place is closer than driving to England for their annual 70mm fest..provided there was a transatlantic bridge. :)
Its a given that a part of the astronomical numbers and attendance are due to Heath Ledger’s sudden and unexpected passing. Its the curiosity factor. Let’s see what happens in the following weeks as there are still some big pictures coming out and whether this movie sustains. I’m predicting a 60% or more drop in week 2. I doubt this film will sink Titanic. :)
This theater was located in a suburb of Washington DC that is notorious for crime and drug dealing even though the Prince Georges County MD Police Headquarters are not too far away. It closed long before I was allowed to go to the movies, but being a native MDer, I know the place quite well. Thankfully, a church has put it to good use whatever remains of the theater.
I saw my first IMAX digital movie (“Eagle Eye”) at the AMC Columbia 14. It wasn’t anything spectacular to watch compared to other digital movies. The auditorium was no larger than one of the larger AMC theaters but not bigger than the largest one. The screen size was probably 50-60 ft wide, which is about the size of our Muvico’s DLP screen. As with the non-IMAX DP movies, the colors were bright but not exaggerated, no spotting, blotches or flickering. The only major difference is the admission price of $13!!! Was it worth it? No. I’ll visit the other 2 IMAX screens to see if there is an appreciable size difference. Maybe an animated movie will look better in this format. We’ll see next month with Madagascar 2.
My friend and I saw my first IMAX Digital(?) in #1. To be honest, I was disappointed after all the brouhaha about I-M-A-X coming to my local cinemas. The auditorium, itself, is no larger than some of the regular AMC theaters. The screen, itself, didn’t seem larger than 50-60' at most. The movie we saw, “Eagle Eye” was decent enough with a very clear picture, decent color and surrounds but it was masked for scope as there was space above and below the screen, not much above regular AMC’s other screens. For $13 a ticket, its too much of a premium for a less than spectacular presentation.
My friend and I saw “Ghost Town” in number 1. It was a schnoozer of a movie. Sightlines, picture and sound were quite good. I had thought 1 was the largest but it seems 3 and 9 are since there is a stairway to those two as you enter into the complex. I hope to catch a movie one of the larger ones soon. I did sneak in to see how big #3 was since it was showing ‘Igor’ and yes, its quite large.
I, too, vividly remember when this movie came out and have been an admirer of Doug Trumbull’s body of work since 2001: A Space Odyssey. The quality and style of his work, at least to me, seemed more realistic when it came to the space epics (2001, Close Encounters, the first Star Trek movie and Blade Runner) than anything ILM and or John Dykstra have done together or independantly. Why? His preference to use 65mm film to standard 35mm. Superior clarity, little to no grain and projected photorealism (in 70mm). Give me your tired, your poor original 70mm print of the above mentioned movies over any blown-up Star Wars movie any day… :)
My memories of this film are documented in the MacArthur theater section and I believe it deserved to do better than it did. I suppose there was just too much bad press associated with the movie with Natalie Wood’s drowning and her role in the movie being her last. Having read some press about the movie and knowing its tight financial constraints that led it to be ‘barely’ completed, perhaps the new Cruise/Wagoner regime, at UA, would allow a ‘Director’s Cut’ edition for the Blu-Ray DVD. And, please let it be the original 2:20 and 1:66 combination not a straight 2:35 throughout. What was enjoyable about the movie was when you went from 35mm mono and 1:66 to to 70mm 6track 2:20 for the surreal and point of view scenes and visual effects.
On another note, I would like to say I had the opportunity to frequent one of the first Showscan theaters in Virginia way back in 1983. I’m not sure if it preceded this movie or came after but the time frame was tight. There were 2 or 3 ‘short’ films that showed off some of the whiz factor of fast frame 70mm projection. To call it video would be an injustice because some scenes, as in one short where the intro showed a woman on screen as if she was actually live in front of you behind the movie screen talking. Some of the shots could have been pulled or shot at the same time as Brainstorm as I do remember a point-of-view shot of a truck that then seems to go off the road as the camera takes you on an aerial journey and maybe one of the journey-to-heaven shots. I believe the plan, at the time, was to have Showscan with these pizza parlors all over the country. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out. I remember going back in ‘86 to watch a Showscan movie but was told that it was only available for rentals. Oh well.
Michael, thanks for your hard work and insightful remembrance of Cinerama. Unfortunately, I’m too young to have attended any of those Cinerama events. :(
I know the Uptown and Warner theaters well but have never seen a movie shown inside of the Warner at any time as they have mostly live performances nowadays. Now the Uptown has an auditorium with a huge curved screen so its easy to imagine how Cinerama could have been. On the other hand, the Warner today seems so small, I can’t imagine how it could show Cinerama with the same theatrical impact as the Uptown, unless the current set up somehow gave up front space for a much, much larger screen that is now gone. Also, were there any other Cinerama theaters besides these two in the DC area? I had thought there were more than two, but I may be confused with Baltimore that may have had more than two.
Its interesting to note that the White Marsh IMAX has a THX cert, according to Fandango, but no on the THX site, itself. Unless an update is coming soon since the recent install.
So much for the revitalization project. I haven’t been by there in a few years but its sad to read that the property has been allowed to deteriorate the way it is described.
What I don’t get is a plex out in hicksville gets the royal cinema treatment, whereas the Regals in and around the DC Metro area, most of which are in dire need of upgrading are ignored. Since when is Fredericksburg VA such a growing motion picture exhibition market?
I have to agree with you Scott on this one. Though I haven’t seen a film here in years, it would not be fair to say that the place had horrible exhibition. The Grand Theater, which is the only THX cert one of the bunch, never disappointed me with the movies I’ve seen there. The other one two auditoriums down (name escapes me) was pretty good as well. No curtains but the neon signs depicting the names of grand DC theaters of yesteryear are a nice touch unseen in other AMC venues in this area.
Granted, the area is not in the best part of town and there are sometimes riff raff urbanite customers that need to be taught proper theater etiquette. With the opening of the Regal Gallery Place, its a given this place took a hit. Perhaps they should have counterprogrammed and not just show the same films here as everywhere else. Lower prices maybe? Touted their superior Grand Theater sound set up?
Oh another thing is they only validate two hours of free parking. Depending on who is at the ticket booth, they’ll give you 10-15 minutes of grace or charge you after the 2 hours is up. It gets dicey if you don’t know you’re going to pay for that parking after shelling out $20 for a pair of tickets, too.
Speaking about Transformers, I did see both the IMAX and 35mm versions and I’m hard pressed to denote the difference without taking notes of each presentation. To be honest, I thought the 35mm one in a THX Cert theater (BowTie Annapolis #1 auditorium) was better as I recall my niece and I slightly dodging and weaving during the bot fight scenes. Sound was coming out from everywhere as the sound booms from impacts and movements.
The IMAX presentation at the Regal King of Prussia plex was good but I remember the movie being masked once again leaving lots of screen space above and below the projected film. To me, that detracts from being absorbed/enthralled somewhat by the movie and in such a visual/aural presentation thats not an ideal thing.
Gary, to be honest, I don’t exactly remember. The last movie I saw there was “Happy Feet” in DLP and that particular large auditorium didn’t have the Egyptian decor inside. On the other hand, I haven’t been in the rest of the 23 to know with certainty. The hallways do carry on the decor though to an extent.
The Egyptian motif for this megaplex is a sight to behold. My relatives love coming here to enjoy the ancient atmosphere from the heiroglyphic wall paper to the enormous sphinxes.
Presentation wise the place is a mixed bag. At times, it can be spectacular especially in the largest auditoriums and then at other times, its underwhelming due mostly to the low sound levels and lack of surround. If you don’t feel enveloped watching a movie, then you’re not experiencing it the way you should.
What prevents me from coming back regularly is for the fact they do not regularly advertise that they have digital projection movies booked either on their website or in the Washington Post newspaper. Now, when its a 3D Digital movie, its obvious because usually the title is a giveaway. I’ve called and spoken to someone who didn’t know the difference or gave erroneous information. A letter sent to their office yielded a manager response to find out what is showing in #7 and #18; their digital theaters. Bah! Supposedly Muvico was to move to all Sony 4K projection systems, I suspect this has not happened yet as there have been no announcements.
Having driven by this place and, for the fact that the sign says for “lease”, its not “for sale.” Unless I’m missing something. Since my memories are only of its twinned operation, its hard for me to imagine it was ever larger than the Uptown in its original configuration. The ceiling seems too low for one, unless during the chopping process, portions of the useable area were quartered off some how. If its ever to come back, I suspect those unused spaces could become useable again. Maybe an upstairs exhibition auditorium or two? Vertically, I think it could be done..especially if there were crying rooms up there at one time.
You know I could have sworn that the Moviewatcher site, which links showtimes to the AMC home page indicated that there was a DP presentation of a movie several weeks ago at Mazza. I didn’t make much of it as I had seen the movie. I’m guessing it was Kung Fu Panda or one of the other animated films but have not seen anything since. Perhaps, it was a mistake. If you have noticed, it seems that at least one auditorium in the newer AMCs has digital. It seems they are moving slower than Regal here to outfit their plexes with all digital auditoriums.
Benjamin Button looks interesting from the preview I saw. Brad Pitt regresses from old age to his youth or something along those lines and Cate Blanchett is his co-star. It looks like an interesting pairing and story. HS Musical 3? I’ll pass. Don’t know much about the others. I bet the Ziegfeld will get DP versions of those movies, if not most.
Aren’t 6 and 7 the auditoriums with the leather love seats that serve alcohol during the week? If so, thats pretty bad they aren’t keeping up with maintenance. They charge more for those auditoriums don’t they? I wanted to see Mummy 3 there..thinking since its gone from my favorite THX plex in Annapolis. I guess I’ll have to go to Tysons.
Giles, you should fill out a comment card on the THX website about your bad experience. Since the place is supposed to be THX certified, the presentation should not have been so lackluster especially one like the fx-laden Mummy.
For me at least, I can’t say I’m not thrilled by the aspect that one of the main contributors to my disgust for current day cinema attendance – is on screen advertising- and they’re not making a lot of money? Boo Hoo.
Terry, I’m not sure why they couldn’t have built a bigger screen then the one they have now. If they were following the restoration to a T and the original screen was 40 ft then that would explain it. There could be ample space if they did away with some of the ornamentation.
As far as the speaker specs, there was a discussion on the theater discussion page here on CT. FWIW, the Historic auditorium and the two smaller ones are all THX certified so you can be assured that the quality of the sound is optimal. As great as it is to watch 2001 in the Historic Auditorium, 40' is small for a film of that scope to be immersed into experiencing the ‘ulimate trip.’ I’m big on sound and picture myself back to the days when 70mm releases (albeit mostly blow ups were the norm) in the late 70s and 80s. You’re absolutely right about speaker placement and large screens being important for the making of a great theatrical experience.
Its flat as far as I know and about 40' wide. Its not as immersive as say a viewing at the Uptown would be but at least it has regular annual showings here. I wish they would show other 70mm than just this film and 2001.
We’ve debated the film vs digital format over and over but, sorry, I have to say that in the case of Regal and AMC in the DC metro market, where many of their venues have lousy scratchy film projection anyway, digital is, indeed superior.
Ken, I forgot to mention prices but it seems everybody is charging about $10 in this market per adult ticket during peak hours. Expensive, yes, but with everything else going up, what is one to do except wait for the DVD or cable release. I still enjoy going to the movies on opening weekend, preferably a full house enjoying the entertainment on screen. If it ever gets up to $15 on a regular basis, maybe I’ll think twice about it but then again, IMAX is charging that much and in the case of a film like the latest Batman, it was worth it.
Part of the problem is they do little to advertise the difference between film and digital projection. No house boards, no on screen trailer of the format like some other venues do. If you don’t educate the public on the difference, they won’t appreciate the difference.
Another is, of course, the much complained about customer service and projection quality, or lack thereof. If you have staff who don’t care about the customer or people in the booth who know what they’re doing, its obvious your customer isn’t going to come back.
Congratulations!! So now that you’ve made a success of your new venue, when can we expect a 70mm festival? Let us know, I’ll be happy to drive down for a visit. Your place is closer than driving to England for their annual 70mm fest..provided there was a transatlantic bridge. :)
Its a given that a part of the astronomical numbers and attendance are due to Heath Ledger’s sudden and unexpected passing. Its the curiosity factor. Let’s see what happens in the following weeks as there are still some big pictures coming out and whether this movie sustains. I’m predicting a 60% or more drop in week 2. I doubt this film will sink Titanic. :)
Variety is reporting that the final numbers for the weekend are that the film grossed $158.3 M.
This theater was located in a suburb of Washington DC that is notorious for crime and drug dealing even though the Prince Georges County MD Police Headquarters are not too far away. It closed long before I was allowed to go to the movies, but being a native MDer, I know the place quite well. Thankfully, a church has put it to good use whatever remains of the theater.