I was dismayed to hear Tuesday night that Interstellar will be the last film (feature, at least) produced on IMAX film. The 15/70 format is going away, and after this run, my local IMAX at Pacific Science Center — the only real IMAX giant screen with film projection in Washington state — will be refurbished, and replaced with a laser projection system discussed in this video. (Unfortunately, the video is rather hand-wavy about what the new projector will entail, other than it having lasers, but it’s what PSC linked to from their page calling for donations to refurbish the theater.)
From the press release, “Science Center First to Adopt New IMAX Technology”:
Pacific Science Center will install IMAX’s next-generation laser projection system, which is expected to set a new benchmark as the industry’s premium entertainment experience. The system, which represents the culmination of the largest R&D initiative in IMAX’s history, incorporates the laser digital intellectual property IMAX exclusively licensed from Eastman Kodak and Barco’s unique laser innovations. It will enable IMAX’s largest screens to deliver the highest-quality digital content available with greater brightness and clarity, a wider color gamut and deeper blacks.
I can’t say that I know whether the financials check out, but I’m sure that’s a big part of it. For a feature film that ships on 49 reels, weighs over 600 pounds, and costs an estimated $30,000 per print (vs $1,500 for an average 35mm release print), I can’t imagine it’s something that can continue forever in this age of cheap digital transmission. Still, as you can see in the video above, if nothing else, IMAX is at least making film go out with a bang.
I encourage you to go see Interstellar at your closest IMAX giant-screen film theater, if you can — It may be your last chance to see films in this incredibly immersive format. Pop your city or ZIP code into the Theater Search on Big Movie Zone to find the one nearest you.
We talk about immersive cinema like Cinerama in Episode 010 of the podcast. What immersive format do you think will replace IMAX?
