One week IMAX runs haven’t been uncommon since the company moved anyway from film prints (where the cost involved in making one necessitated a multi-week run). Particularly during busy release seasons like this with three big titles in consecutive weeks they will turn over quickly to try and show everything. Last year for instance Sully came out in September instead of a Summer release just because that time worked better for an IMAX run (and they wanted to give it a couple weeks as it was shot using IMAX digital cameras).
I do think films like The Fate of the Furious in April and Dunkirk in late summer will get longer runs due to lack of competition, and IMAX giving Nolan films special treatment in the latter case.
This theater is one of seven in the U.S. and maybe just eight worldwide playing a 70mm print of Kong: Skull Island. And they did a great job with it, print was in a good shape, color and image quality was gorgeous, the sound was great, and they put some showmanship into it with a mini overture before the movie and the masking expanding wide at the end of the overture for the film.
Though the first showing I went to was just a third full, so if anyone else likes the 70mm format I would suggest seeing it (getting a print of a new release projected by people capable of running film is rare nowadays, and studios aren’t going to continuing supporting it with the added costs involved unless audiences go) and the film itself was also far more enjoyable than I was expecting.
They lost a row of seating during the renovation’s inclusion of larger seats. I don’t know why they didn’t just rename the rows and redo the seating chart on Fandango, but I’ve been to the theater now 4 times since laser/sound/seating renovation and it’s not like a row is sealed off or always full.
CHH32, it should be bigger than the Empire one as the Loews screen is already bigger, and the Empire Dolby Cinema can’t be too big as the IMAX contractually needs to be the biggest screen in its theater.
Anyway, a bit of a shame that all traditional larger screens are either closing (like the Ziegfeld) or being transformed to the higher ticket price of premium large format, but with that screen size and Atmos sound already in place, probably was an easy choice for AMC.
CHH32, it should be bigger than the Empire one as the Loews screen is already bigger, and the Empire Dolby Cinema can’t be too big as the IMAX contractually needs to be the biggest screen in its theater.
Anyway, a bit of a shame that all traditional larger screens are either closing (like the Ziegfeld) or being transformed to the higher ticket price of premium large format, but with that screen size and Atmos sound already in place, probably was an easy choice for AMC.
It’s been over a week since IMAX showings for this theater have appeared on Fandango, nor are IMAX showings included in advance tickets here for films like Logan and Beauty and the Beast (I believe even if they plan on showing those titles in IMAX, can’t place the tickets on sale until the screen is ready to reopen). So whatever renovations IMAX/AMC are planning for the year, seems like they are currently in process.
Yeah, IMAX just started developing the laser system for smaller theaters mid 2016 and had no timeframe for when it would be ready. Now IMAX does sometimes like to test out a new system in secret before officially unveiling it, but this year may be too soon, particularly when IMAX signed over 70 deals for the big laser system and there are about 40 laser IMAXes currently in use, which means getting those remaining ones installed probably comes first.
Also, based on the article, it seems like IMAX may start installing their updated sound system in some locations without putting in a laser projector as part of the same project, and they have announced plans for some kind of IMAX VR experience opening in a NYC location in 2017 (which could be part of a redesigned auditorium). A lot of what the changes are won’t be clear until renovation actually begins (which isn’t right now at least, as Resident Evil is currently playing in the IMAX per Fandango).
I was invited to and attended an early screening of xXx: Return of Xander Cage at the IMAX here tonight. As usual with these early screenings where best seats are reserved for press and/or people involved with the film, regular people usually don’t get the best seats, and so I was in row D, maybe 7 seats from the aisle on the left. With the glasses I had a bit more issue than with Rogue One but again less than Force Awakens, as I did get reflections not from the movie but two times people in my row checked their phones (not ideal, but certainly something which happens in real world setting) and if I turned my head to the side I did get ghosting (which I tried out during the opening credits sequence), though as long as I kept my head relatively still (wasn’t too hard for me) the 3D was strong and problem free.
Still, this does suggest sitting towards the middle of the row and not too close to the screen is ideal (I’d already recommend that for any movie, 3D or 2D, on a screen of this size), and I will again say with this film that IMAX Laser picture and sound quality was outstanding.
Yeah, no significant ghosting with Rogue One. As far as seating goes, I think I was 6 or 7 rows back and pretty close to the middle of the screen (maybe slightly to the left, but not by much).
I am a bit concerned about these issues if you had them and I did at another theater. If the final Resident Evil plays here (set to be in IMAX, but don’t think locations/showtimes are announced yet) I’ll see that and look out for good seating and these issues.
@alpinedownhiller- the two issues I had with the laser glasses in SF were the size and I got a small reflection effect with my prescription glasses in the brightest shots (not often, maybe a half dozen times throughout the movie)
@markp, as I said I get the love for film, especially as a capture method but even in projection I would still like to see film prints from time to time. The problem is nowadays you basically need to see a brand new print at a special venue to find pristine quality and people who can project it right.
In places with very talented protectionists like Film Forum, Museum of the Moving Image, and NYFF, new prints can look great but often archival ones have damage either from someone else or just normal wear and tear, and in the years where the industry was heavily transitioning to digital projection but still could find plenty of new releases projecting on film (basically 2010-2013) the difference was apparent with film prints usually having significant scratches and faded colors even for titles 1-3 weeks into their release.
Not to say digital projection can’t have problems (I’ve had bad showings, and like with film the risk increases with multiplexes vs special venues), but the number of times I’ve seen significant projection issues has gone down in recent years, and IMAX laser and even a regular 4K projector are capable of producing high quality images that means image detail and sharpness doesn’t have to be compromised for the stability and print savings of digital.
I remember thinking the IMAX Laser 3D glasses were pretty poor when I saw Force Awakens in San Fran, and while it didn’t ruin the movie, it did bug me in a few scenes. But they didn’t bother me with Rogue One here, I don’t know if they were slightly redesigned or I just got used to them.
I will also say from Force Awakens that I thought the 1.43 15/70 shot sequence looked stunning and was a huge jump in quality from the already good looking 35mm DMR footage (I had previously seen the film in Real D at 84st and Dolby Cinema at the Empire 25 and that scene didn’t really stand out from the rest there). It probably was some blind digital hater who trashed it (and I get the love and nostalgia for film, but digital is clearly where things are going, and particularly on the projection side I’m very impressed by some of the things they can do now digitally), cause the idea that IMAX wouldn’t let that their native aspect ratio and footage look anything less than great with the biggest R&D endeavor in company history is nonsensical.
Alpinedownhiller- I think it’s screen 6 (certainly is the one which used to be ETX) which is now the Dolby Cinema screen, and that has fewer seats because it uses those large recliners that cut seating capacity more than half.
Also there are two IMAX laser locations in the Washington D.C. area (part of the Smithsonian museum system and thus can’t play R rated movies, but do play other Hollywood IMAX releases), but true there are more in other parts of the country as well as certain overseas markets.
Just to elaborate a bit further, the IMAX is obviously the biggest screen in this theater, though the Dolby Cinema and screens 13 and 18 (which have over 370 seats) are large as well. I think a few screens in the 20s on the top floor are pretty small, but in general the other screens are at least typical multiplex size.
They used 70mm IMAX (both 3D and 2D depending on the title) exclusively till Fall 2013.
Haven’t seen a ton of Dolby Cinema (3 films) or IMAX laser (just the last two Star Wars movies), but The Force Awakens is the one film I saw in both, and I do think Dolby Cinema had an advantage in the black levels, but in every other way (rest of image quality, the sound, and of course screen size) I preferred the IMAX laser version.
Happyman: very interesting, and that confirms that there still is a rail system in place.
Also, when I saw Rogue One, the previews (beginning with Dunkirk) started about 10 minutes late, which I wonder was a consequence of doing some Dunkirk prologue showings with film (even with a rail system it probably takes a few minutes to switch between projectors, so they may have been falling behind schedule if they were doing the earlier prologue showings on 15/70).
Vertigoman: are you sure the Dunkirk preview was shown on 15/70? I do know IMAX likes keeping film projectors in their booths on a rail system if they have the space, but the time between the Dunkirk prologue and rest of trailers for Rogue One was just a few seconds when I went which seems too short for a rail system (the exhaust hoses need to be disconnected from one projector, then that projector is slid away on a rail, before the next projector is slid into the prime position and the two exhaust hoses connected to that projector).
Poland626: IMAX does separate masters for laser and digital (same as they used to for 15/70 and digital), so anything shown there now will be a laser version, not a digital thrown up.
Leo1: I think it looked pretty great in laser, seems very similar to 15/70 presentation quality, and the only other title I’ve seen in laser in Force Awakens and I’d say Rogue One looks better (with the exception of course of the IMAX shot scene in Force Awakens).
The full screen will be used for 1.43 titles (such as the upcoming Dunkirk). Rogue One is a 2.35 title so there will be some letterboxing, but it will still use more of the screen than Force Awakens did (which was windowboxed as all digital IMAX presentations here were).
http://www.imax.com/news/advance-tickets-rogue-one-everything-you-need-know
11 of the 13 US/Canada locations for IMAX 70mm Rogue One are indeed museums. The bigger issue is that more than half (including the sole Northeast site) are in IMAX domes- domes couldn’t be replaced with IMAX digital projectors but aren’t good places to see two hour+ Hollywood movies.
Poland626, I saw the original release of Voyage of Time here, and it filled the IMAX screen. With regular scope films in IMAX there is some letterboxing, so I’m afraid there will be pretty large black bars used for 3.6 (and this is already the smallest IMAX screen in Manhattan).
Also sounds like this version strips away Brad Pitt’s narration to let the visuals and music carry the story; interesting experiments to be sure, but seems like a far less accessible version than the original release.
Al Alvarez- it was well advertised that this theater was showing the film in 70mm (including such things as specially labeling the showings as 70mm on Fandango, format info on the weekly City Cinemas email, and the theater marquee advertising “Fantastic Beasts 70mm”).
Yeah, it was announced they would cut back on the IMAX seating capacity a bit with the newer seats.
The IMAX screen is now closed for the completion of renovation before Rogue One. I can’t agree with opening it when they did, but good they seem to avoid rushing the final steps now and are addressing all the kinks.
Kips Bay would have to have significantly lower seating capacity than the other two now, as all its screens except for the IMAX use recliners (which AMC is using for sites like Kips Bay that have had declining attendance).
35mmpaul- the film projector was decommissioned last Fall when they thought they thought they would do laser renovation early this year, and then it had to be reinstalled before Batman v Superman. From what I understand, the laser system takes up much more space in the projection booth than digital did, so most theaters can’t switch between projectors like they did for film/digital with a rail system. Dunkirk will get a 15/70 release, but probably not at Lincoln Square (Rogue One has 12 U.S. 15/70 theaters, and my guess is the Dunkirk release will be similar, still NYC should have 35mm and maybe regular 70mm sites available if Nolan does another film only early release window as is rumored).
Darth_Vader444 15/70 IMAX was 3D capable, and probably the best 3D system IMO, but the cost of making those dual strip 3D prints became quite expensive, so none have been made since 2013 and we likely aren’t getting anymore unfortunately.
One week IMAX runs haven’t been uncommon since the company moved anyway from film prints (where the cost involved in making one necessitated a multi-week run). Particularly during busy release seasons like this with three big titles in consecutive weeks they will turn over quickly to try and show everything. Last year for instance Sully came out in September instead of a Summer release just because that time worked better for an IMAX run (and they wanted to give it a couple weeks as it was shot using IMAX digital cameras).
I do think films like The Fate of the Furious in April and Dunkirk in late summer will get longer runs due to lack of competition, and IMAX giving Nolan films special treatment in the latter case.
This theater is one of seven in the U.S. and maybe just eight worldwide playing a 70mm print of Kong: Skull Island. And they did a great job with it, print was in a good shape, color and image quality was gorgeous, the sound was great, and they put some showmanship into it with a mini overture before the movie and the masking expanding wide at the end of the overture for the film.
Though the first showing I went to was just a third full, so if anyone else likes the 70mm format I would suggest seeing it (getting a print of a new release projected by people capable of running film is rare nowadays, and studios aren’t going to continuing supporting it with the added costs involved unless audiences go) and the film itself was also far more enjoyable than I was expecting.
They lost a row of seating during the renovation’s inclusion of larger seats. I don’t know why they didn’t just rename the rows and redo the seating chart on Fandango, but I’ve been to the theater now 4 times since laser/sound/seating renovation and it’s not like a row is sealed off or always full.
CHH32, it should be bigger than the Empire one as the Loews screen is already bigger, and the Empire Dolby Cinema can’t be too big as the IMAX contractually needs to be the biggest screen in its theater.
Anyway, a bit of a shame that all traditional larger screens are either closing (like the Ziegfeld) or being transformed to the higher ticket price of premium large format, but with that screen size and Atmos sound already in place, probably was an easy choice for AMC.
CHH32, it should be bigger than the Empire one as the Loews screen is already bigger, and the Empire Dolby Cinema can’t be too big as the IMAX contractually needs to be the biggest screen in its theater.
Anyway, a bit of a shame that all traditional larger screens are either closing (like the Ziegfeld) or being transformed to the higher ticket price of premium large format, but with that screen size and Atmos sound already in place, probably was an easy choice for AMC.
It’s been over a week since IMAX showings for this theater have appeared on Fandango, nor are IMAX showings included in advance tickets here for films like Logan and Beauty and the Beast (I believe even if they plan on showing those titles in IMAX, can’t place the tickets on sale until the screen is ready to reopen). So whatever renovations IMAX/AMC are planning for the year, seems like they are currently in process.
Yeah, IMAX just started developing the laser system for smaller theaters mid 2016 and had no timeframe for when it would be ready. Now IMAX does sometimes like to test out a new system in secret before officially unveiling it, but this year may be too soon, particularly when IMAX signed over 70 deals for the big laser system and there are about 40 laser IMAXes currently in use, which means getting those remaining ones installed probably comes first.
Also, based on the article, it seems like IMAX may start installing their updated sound system in some locations without putting in a laser projector as part of the same project, and they have announced plans for some kind of IMAX VR experience opening in a NYC location in 2017 (which could be part of a redesigned auditorium). A lot of what the changes are won’t be clear until renovation actually begins (which isn’t right now at least, as Resident Evil is currently playing in the IMAX per Fandango).
I was invited to and attended an early screening of xXx: Return of Xander Cage at the IMAX here tonight. As usual with these early screenings where best seats are reserved for press and/or people involved with the film, regular people usually don’t get the best seats, and so I was in row D, maybe 7 seats from the aisle on the left. With the glasses I had a bit more issue than with Rogue One but again less than Force Awakens, as I did get reflections not from the movie but two times people in my row checked their phones (not ideal, but certainly something which happens in real world setting) and if I turned my head to the side I did get ghosting (which I tried out during the opening credits sequence), though as long as I kept my head relatively still (wasn’t too hard for me) the 3D was strong and problem free.
Still, this does suggest sitting towards the middle of the row and not too close to the screen is ideal (I’d already recommend that for any movie, 3D or 2D, on a screen of this size), and I will again say with this film that IMAX Laser picture and sound quality was outstanding.
Yeah, no significant ghosting with Rogue One. As far as seating goes, I think I was 6 or 7 rows back and pretty close to the middle of the screen (maybe slightly to the left, but not by much). I am a bit concerned about these issues if you had them and I did at another theater. If the final Resident Evil plays here (set to be in IMAX, but don’t think locations/showtimes are announced yet) I’ll see that and look out for good seating and these issues.
@alpinedownhiller- the two issues I had with the laser glasses in SF were the size and I got a small reflection effect with my prescription glasses in the brightest shots (not often, maybe a half dozen times throughout the movie)
@markp, as I said I get the love for film, especially as a capture method but even in projection I would still like to see film prints from time to time. The problem is nowadays you basically need to see a brand new print at a special venue to find pristine quality and people who can project it right. In places with very talented protectionists like Film Forum, Museum of the Moving Image, and NYFF, new prints can look great but often archival ones have damage either from someone else or just normal wear and tear, and in the years where the industry was heavily transitioning to digital projection but still could find plenty of new releases projecting on film (basically 2010-2013) the difference was apparent with film prints usually having significant scratches and faded colors even for titles 1-3 weeks into their release.
Not to say digital projection can’t have problems (I’ve had bad showings, and like with film the risk increases with multiplexes vs special venues), but the number of times I’ve seen significant projection issues has gone down in recent years, and IMAX laser and even a regular 4K projector are capable of producing high quality images that means image detail and sharpness doesn’t have to be compromised for the stability and print savings of digital.
I remember thinking the IMAX Laser 3D glasses were pretty poor when I saw Force Awakens in San Fran, and while it didn’t ruin the movie, it did bug me in a few scenes. But they didn’t bother me with Rogue One here, I don’t know if they were slightly redesigned or I just got used to them.
I will also say from Force Awakens that I thought the 1.43 15/70 shot sequence looked stunning and was a huge jump in quality from the already good looking 35mm DMR footage (I had previously seen the film in Real D at 84st and Dolby Cinema at the Empire 25 and that scene didn’t really stand out from the rest there). It probably was some blind digital hater who trashed it (and I get the love and nostalgia for film, but digital is clearly where things are going, and particularly on the projection side I’m very impressed by some of the things they can do now digitally), cause the idea that IMAX wouldn’t let that their native aspect ratio and footage look anything less than great with the biggest R&D endeavor in company history is nonsensical.
Alpinedownhiller- I think it’s screen 6 (certainly is the one which used to be ETX) which is now the Dolby Cinema screen, and that has fewer seats because it uses those large recliners that cut seating capacity more than half.
Also there are two IMAX laser locations in the Washington D.C. area (part of the Smithsonian museum system and thus can’t play R rated movies, but do play other Hollywood IMAX releases), but true there are more in other parts of the country as well as certain overseas markets.
Just to elaborate a bit further, the IMAX is obviously the biggest screen in this theater, though the Dolby Cinema and screens 13 and 18 (which have over 370 seats) are large as well. I think a few screens in the 20s on the top floor are pretty small, but in general the other screens are at least typical multiplex size.
They used 70mm IMAX (both 3D and 2D depending on the title) exclusively till Fall 2013.
Haven’t seen a ton of Dolby Cinema (3 films) or IMAX laser (just the last two Star Wars movies), but The Force Awakens is the one film I saw in both, and I do think Dolby Cinema had an advantage in the black levels, but in every other way (rest of image quality, the sound, and of course screen size) I preferred the IMAX laser version.
Happyman: very interesting, and that confirms that there still is a rail system in place.
Also, when I saw Rogue One, the previews (beginning with Dunkirk) started about 10 minutes late, which I wonder was a consequence of doing some Dunkirk prologue showings with film (even with a rail system it probably takes a few minutes to switch between projectors, so they may have been falling behind schedule if they were doing the earlier prologue showings on 15/70).
Vertigoman: are you sure the Dunkirk preview was shown on 15/70? I do know IMAX likes keeping film projectors in their booths on a rail system if they have the space, but the time between the Dunkirk prologue and rest of trailers for Rogue One was just a few seconds when I went which seems too short for a rail system (the exhaust hoses need to be disconnected from one projector, then that projector is slid away on a rail, before the next projector is slid into the prime position and the two exhaust hoses connected to that projector).
Poland626: IMAX does separate masters for laser and digital (same as they used to for 15/70 and digital), so anything shown there now will be a laser version, not a digital thrown up. Leo1: I think it looked pretty great in laser, seems very similar to 15/70 presentation quality, and the only other title I’ve seen in laser in Force Awakens and I’d say Rogue One looks better (with the exception of course of the IMAX shot scene in Force Awakens).
The full screen will be used for 1.43 titles (such as the upcoming Dunkirk). Rogue One is a 2.35 title so there will be some letterboxing, but it will still use more of the screen than Force Awakens did (which was windowboxed as all digital IMAX presentations here were).
http://www.imax.com/news/advance-tickets-rogue-one-everything-you-need-know 11 of the 13 US/Canada locations for IMAX 70mm Rogue One are indeed museums. The bigger issue is that more than half (including the sole Northeast site) are in IMAX domes- domes couldn’t be replaced with IMAX digital projectors but aren’t good places to see two hour+ Hollywood movies.
Poland626, I saw the original release of Voyage of Time here, and it filled the IMAX screen. With regular scope films in IMAX there is some letterboxing, so I’m afraid there will be pretty large black bars used for 3.6 (and this is already the smallest IMAX screen in Manhattan).
Also sounds like this version strips away Brad Pitt’s narration to let the visuals and music carry the story; interesting experiments to be sure, but seems like a far less accessible version than the original release.
Al Alvarez- it was well advertised that this theater was showing the film in 70mm (including such things as specially labeling the showings as 70mm on Fandango, format info on the weekly City Cinemas email, and the theater marquee advertising “Fantastic Beasts 70mm”).
Yeah, it was announced they would cut back on the IMAX seating capacity a bit with the newer seats.
The IMAX screen is now closed for the completion of renovation before Rogue One. I can’t agree with opening it when they did, but good they seem to avoid rushing the final steps now and are addressing all the kinks.
Kips Bay would have to have significantly lower seating capacity than the other two now, as all its screens except for the IMAX use recliners (which AMC is using for sites like Kips Bay that have had declining attendance).
35mmpaul- the film projector was decommissioned last Fall when they thought they thought they would do laser renovation early this year, and then it had to be reinstalled before Batman v Superman. From what I understand, the laser system takes up much more space in the projection booth than digital did, so most theaters can’t switch between projectors like they did for film/digital with a rail system. Dunkirk will get a 15/70 release, but probably not at Lincoln Square (Rogue One has 12 U.S. 15/70 theaters, and my guess is the Dunkirk release will be similar, still NYC should have 35mm and maybe regular 70mm sites available if Nolan does another film only early release window as is rumored).
Darth_Vader444 15/70 IMAX was 3D capable, and probably the best 3D system IMO, but the cost of making those dual strip 3D prints became quite expensive, so none have been made since 2013 and we likely aren’t getting anymore unfortunately.