There is an IMAX to the north of this theatre: AMC Theatres' Citywalk Stadium 19 + IMAX at Universal Studios. The theatre is an original 15/70 built from the ground up IMAX with the 7 story tall screen that made them legendary.
I think the time and expense has more to do with keeping the world’s most famous movie theatre alive and kicking for future audiences than about any perceived proximity to other IMAX theatres.
BTW…according to ownership, the screen is 46 feet tall and 94 feet wide. The screen probably got side masked to 61 feet to properly project the 1:33:1 filmed “WOZ.”
You mean the same Sid Grauman who let them rip out the proscenium in his theatre to install Cinemascope in the 1950’s? :)
Ciffs: DEAD ON! They were EXACTLY and PRECISELY being cocky! Serves em right!
I see the Gravity tickets (YEAH!) Uut the reserved seating chart hasn’t been activated. I’m not buying till it does…lest I end up sitting in the front row (in the basement…LOL!).
No one seems to have reported this yet, but they have finally followed the advice of the wise and raised up the bottom left/right masking on the Dome screen – significantly diminishing the effects of the ultra curved screen and preventing that goofy effect where low center titles/logo bylines/etc. get swallowed up beneath the masking. Saw and confirmed this after seeing “The World’s End” on Saturday 8/24.
Mark: Wizard of Oz looks like an IMAX only version, so 2D/3D for this one seems unlikely. We’ll know their plans for certain when Gravity opens in October.
I doubt that Through The Never will play here. WOZ will be boffo enough for them to book another week. When IMAX announces a film as “One Week Only,” that usually means a 2 week engagement.
With the exception of the museum films, there is only 1 mainstream Hollywood director – Christopher Nolan – actually shooting films full time with IMAX cameras. There are only 2-3 others who shoot a scene here and a scene there with them. In any given calendar year, we’re talking 1-2 films with 20-30 minutes shot in native IMAX. The other 8 (maybe more) films are all IMAX DMR blowups…which, by the way, are all cropped. 1:85 flat films are about 10/20% cropped while 2:40 scope films are plopped in the dead center of the screen with 40/50% screen cropping.
As far as the screen itself, according to the pics I’d call it a step between the dreaded “LieMax” label and the true blue 15/70 6 story tall screens we all know and love.
As usual, this is all armchair quarterbacking & speculation. Let us see if the presentation delivers the goods starting 9/20. And, IMO, “Wizard of Oz” won’t be the judge. “Gravity” – with George Clooney & Sandra Bullock set in space – will be the true test.
You ARE aware that IMAX is phasing out film prints along with all the studios, right? They’ll continue running digital this year and switch to laser in 2014…which, allegedly, can be projected to fill the entire IMAX screen (so I read).
Here’s the best article I found: http://flavorwire.com/382554/jurassic-park-how-a-2d-movie-becomes-a-3d-movie
From the research I did, the age of the movie doesn’t matter that much. It’s moreso about the quality of the film print they use. I’m fairly certain that, since this is one of the most beloved films in cinema history, Warner Bros. has a top notch print in their vault for the team at IMAX to work with.
Tickets are now on sale for the 9/20 (and beyond) grand reopening attraction of “The Wizard of Oz IMAX 3D” at Movie Tickets (www.movietickets.com). They’re (WISELY!) switching to a reserved seating system. New seating layout (as shown in the construction pics) is a higher level & lower level stadium arrangement with a left, center and right section.
90 feet wide & 46 feet tall according to the big press release in the LA Times. Taller and wider than (GASP!) The Dome. Anyone still wanna label this a LIEMAX?
I get “sartana’s” (and others) gripes and fears. It’s all about change. We hate to see our proverbial sacred cows get updated and adapted into something different than what we’re used to.
These gripes and fears arose from too much dumbing down of the IMAX brand.
IMAX originally was all about larger than life 70MM technology in the biggest theatres on the biggest screens you ever saw. But IMAX chose to step away from that and create a stripped down version of their tech in darn near every shopping mall multiplex in the country – projecting images on screens half the size of those super large screens that made their name legend. The complainers are afraid that the mighty Chinese will become another example of this.
Looking at the pics of the new stadium seating layout, I’m conceding the fact that, although the screen will be 94 feet wide, it won’t be 2 stories tall like the built from the ground up IMAX'es. But that’s not enough to dampen my excitement for the changes that are to come. The IMAX name insures that the theatre will have a steady stream of big ticket (non-Disney) titles running throughout any given calendar year and, despite the fears, will breath some fresh new life into the world’s most famous movie theatre!
A 94 foot wide screen ain’t LieMax. Me thinks you’ve been to too many retrofitted AMC’s. And the bass in a true blue, built from the ground up IMAX theatre will make your chest pound. I speak from experience.
Not a silly question, BigJoe. :)
There is an IMAX to the north of this theatre: AMC Theatres' Citywalk Stadium 19 + IMAX at Universal Studios. The theatre is an original 15/70 built from the ground up IMAX with the 7 story tall screen that made them legendary.
I think the time and expense has more to do with keeping the world’s most famous movie theatre alive and kicking for future audiences than about any perceived proximity to other IMAX theatres.
BTW…according to ownership, the screen is 46 feet tall and 94 feet wide. The screen probably got side masked to 61 feet to properly project the 1:33:1 filmed “WOZ.”
You mean the same Sid Grauman who let them rip out the proscenium in his theatre to install Cinemascope in the 1950’s? :)
Ciffs: DEAD ON! They were EXACTLY and PRECISELY being cocky! Serves em right!
I see the Gravity tickets (YEAH!) Uut the reserved seating chart hasn’t been activated. I’m not buying till it does…lest I end up sitting in the front row (in the basement…LOL!).
Friday 9/20/2013
Sign looks alright to me. :)
They’d better not let ArcLight snatch IMAX films from under their noses. It’ll be a shame if they do.
In other news – here’s a time lapse video of the reconstruction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mWmeUsfnJE&feature=youtu.be
Went here a couple of times while visiting family.
No one seems to have reported this yet, but they have finally followed the advice of the wise and raised up the bottom left/right masking on the Dome screen – significantly diminishing the effects of the ultra curved screen and preventing that goofy effect where low center titles/logo bylines/etc. get swallowed up beneath the masking. Saw and confirmed this after seeing “The World’s End” on Saturday 8/24.
I think Escott meant to say SURROUND speakers instead of DOLBY speakers. Give him a break, Ed! :)
Mark: I have experienced The Cinerama back in Christmas 2005. An unforgettable experience!
Mark: Wizard of Oz looks like an IMAX only version, so 2D/3D for this one seems unlikely. We’ll know their plans for certain when Gravity opens in October.
No, Robert. Saw TDKR at Rave 3 times. The IMAX camera scenes filled the entire screen. The 35MM scenes were the only ones with top & bottom blankage.
Now that all is said and done and the screen is mounted, let us cease this great debate…until September 20th when OZ comes home to the Chinese!
I doubt that Through The Never will play here. WOZ will be boffo enough for them to book another week. When IMAX announces a film as “One Week Only,” that usually means a 2 week engagement.
How is this open to debate? Here’s how:
With the exception of the museum films, there is only 1 mainstream Hollywood director – Christopher Nolan – actually shooting films full time with IMAX cameras. There are only 2-3 others who shoot a scene here and a scene there with them. In any given calendar year, we’re talking 1-2 films with 20-30 minutes shot in native IMAX. The other 8 (maybe more) films are all IMAX DMR blowups…which, by the way, are all cropped. 1:85 flat films are about 10/20% cropped while 2:40 scope films are plopped in the dead center of the screen with 40/50% screen cropping.
As far as the screen itself, according to the pics I’d call it a step between the dreaded “LieMax” label and the true blue 15/70 6 story tall screens we all know and love.
As usual, this is all armchair quarterbacking & speculation. Let us see if the presentation delivers the goods starting 9/20. And, IMO, “Wizard of Oz” won’t be the judge. “Gravity” – with George Clooney & Sandra Bullock set in space – will be the true test.
The aforementioned pics: http://beyondthemarquee.com/24065/
You ARE aware that IMAX is phasing out film prints along with all the studios, right? They’ll continue running digital this year and switch to laser in 2014…which, allegedly, can be projected to fill the entire IMAX screen (so I read).
US Website: http://mgnfivestarcinema.com/
And $10 tickets??? Nope! Try $16.75 for matinees and $19.75 for evening shows! Saw the prices myself on their website.
Here’s the new website for the theatre: http://mgnfivestarcinema.com/
Looks pretty nice inside!
Looks like all of our questions and concerns about the big IMAX conversion are all answered in this article posted directly at TCL Chinese’s website.
http://www.tclchinesetheatres.com/imax/
Here’s the best article I found: http://flavorwire.com/382554/jurassic-park-how-a-2d-movie-becomes-a-3d-movie
From the research I did, the age of the movie doesn’t matter that much. It’s moreso about the quality of the film print they use. I’m fairly certain that, since this is one of the most beloved films in cinema history, Warner Bros. has a top notch print in their vault for the team at IMAX to work with.
Tickets are now on sale for the 9/20 (and beyond) grand reopening attraction of “The Wizard of Oz IMAX 3D” at Movie Tickets (www.movietickets.com). They’re (WISELY!) switching to a reserved seating system. New seating layout (as shown in the construction pics) is a higher level & lower level stadium arrangement with a left, center and right section.
90 feet wide & 46 feet tall according to the big press release in the LA Times. Taller and wider than (GASP!) The Dome. Anyone still wanna label this a LIEMAX?
I get “sartana’s” (and others) gripes and fears. It’s all about change. We hate to see our proverbial sacred cows get updated and adapted into something different than what we’re used to.
These gripes and fears arose from too much dumbing down of the IMAX brand.
IMAX originally was all about larger than life 70MM technology in the biggest theatres on the biggest screens you ever saw. But IMAX chose to step away from that and create a stripped down version of their tech in darn near every shopping mall multiplex in the country – projecting images on screens half the size of those super large screens that made their name legend. The complainers are afraid that the mighty Chinese will become another example of this.
Looking at the pics of the new stadium seating layout, I’m conceding the fact that, although the screen will be 94 feet wide, it won’t be 2 stories tall like the built from the ground up IMAX'es. But that’s not enough to dampen my excitement for the changes that are to come. The IMAX name insures that the theatre will have a steady stream of big ticket (non-Disney) titles running throughout any given calendar year and, despite the fears, will breath some fresh new life into the world’s most famous movie theatre!
A 94 foot wide screen ain’t LieMax. Me thinks you’ve been to too many retrofitted AMC’s. And the bass in a true blue, built from the ground up IMAX theatre will make your chest pound. I speak from experience.
This D/I – like its sister locations owned by DeAnza – is now digital projection