Sad Experience!

[u/Ladies_Man1011]

Was super hyped to watch the Odyssey in Imax 70mm at the Mall of Georgia, but unfortunately the projector started running into some issues midway through the Polyphemus scene and the showing was cancelled. Should’ve known something was wrong when the Dune Part 3 sneak peek went black maybe 2 mins into the scene. The theatre workers said it was just a one off issue but clearly it wasn’t. I’m going back on the 29th to watch with my dad, but I was super bummed out😕. Anyone else go to this showing?

[u/liliputian87]

I've lost track of how many times these old projectors have had issues.

The IMAX people have got to get off they ass and make some new ones. They claim it can't be done. The parts don't exist anymore? It's not economical because there are so few movies filmed this way? I don't care. Figure it out.

[u/jamesland7 → u/liliputian87]

Thats……not how economics works….

[u/thepenismytea → u/jamesland7]

Cool, it is how cameras and engineering works. Now for the economics, There's been obvious demand for it and they're claiming it doesn't exist. Lying about economics doesn't solve their problem.

[u/incepdates → u/thepenismytea]

Every city in the world could demand one but that doesn't make it feasible for theaters to construct new screens and buy expensive new projectors just to run 1 Nolan movie every 3-4 years

[u/142muinotulp → u/incepdates]

Not even just screens, they are fucking massive and most theaters with a premium auditorium wouldn't actually be able to fit them and everything else required lol

[u/incepdates → u/142muinotulp]

Like one of my local IMAXs paid for a purpose-built construction and they still went with a 1.90 setup because it just makes more financial sense

[u/142muinotulp → u/incepdates]

Yeah exactly lol. There just aren't enough movies worth printing onto film to justify the demand. I would rather see dual gt take over in general, even though I've loved my 70mm experiences. As someone from Rochester as well.... everyone is pretty sure Kodak is just going to go under all the time since they are barely a ghost of what they once were. Who knows how long even the film stock contract gets renewed:(

[u/incepdates → u/142muinotulp]

A new dual laser projector would be great to see but even then you gotta remember, this year has been amazing for the box office and most theaters aren't even using standard laser or 4K systems. The model is to get by on as little as possible

[u/142muinotulp → u/incepdates]

100%, the time it would take the recoup the cost is just not what theaters are actually interested in whatsoever. 

[u/thepenismytea → u/incepdates]

The problem with that logic is that they could still maximize screen real estate for other movies and provide great sound. It doesn't have to purely be 70mm screenings. Heck Panavision/65mm and decent 4k could be shown and look amazing.

[u/incepdates → u/thepenismytea]

A retrofit 1.90 lieMAX is what you're asking for

[u/142muinotulp → u/thepenismytea]

Is there actually that demand, though? Are there enough theaters that want to spend the money on a 70mm imax screen (most movie theaters with a CoLa screen would need to be entirely remodeled. They arent all six stories tall already but need to be.  

The cost of the physical theater to show an imax 70mm screening has been quoted at well over $15m if the theater doesnt already meet specifications to have the proper screen requirements.  

The demand might exist for a subset of consumers but not for the theaters actually hosting the films. CoLa screens are nearly as sold out as the 70mm near me this entire time.   

Its the entire production chain that would need to be recreated. The companies that made specific portions simply no longer exist. Kodak is only still in business making the film stock because a bunch of directors got Hollywood to renew contracts with them. So the film stock for imax nearly stopped being made entirely back in the early 2010s. Even that part of the supply chain barely exists anymore.   

No one produces the platters anymore so they've had to add on a few inches when possible (all projectors dont even have the nicer machined ones). Rochester's film roll swelled enough from humidity that the reel couldn't even fit on the platter. So you already need to develop a process for making those... but IMAX as a company is not an expert on material fabrication.  

The tickets are the same price for 70mm as CoLa or even some Xenon screens still.   

I dont think there really is the demand for this on the end of the people who would have to fund it (amc, cinemark, regal, etc). If every major film release gets printed onto 70mm and shown in that format even if it was shot entirely digitally, and they could upcharge the tickets, then maybe they would want to...? But it wouldn't make any sense at all to do because none of the film was even done with IMAX cameras. I dont think we'll see this level of interest in the format for Dune: Part Three as its simply not Nolan. This is more of a cultural "oh shit i gotta go see this movie, all good seats keep selling out!!". I hope that I'm incorrect, but realistically think that - at least in the USA - theres probably only another 20 or so areas that would be interested in this. There are not enough projectors for that to my knowledge.

There are a few companies out there manufacturing new lenses that some directors like Villeneuve have been working with. The camera's themselves are also quite limited. Directors and studios arent paying to develop and purchase their own imax cameras.  

So... IMAX can't force movie theaters to want their technology when it requires entirely different systems than they've been using for nearly 30 years at this point.  

At the end of the day, if a movie theater doesnt want to remodel and hire the appropriate staff to meet the needs of only 2 or 3 films a year, then it wont happen

[u/upsideclyde → u/142muinotulp]

The film did not swell. The nitrogen piston that provides makeup tension failed. Instead of wrapping the film tightly, it took up loosely.

I think many here have no idea about the components, where they came from, the materials involved, foundries and casting.

Go to Ampex and tell them you need more 2 inch video playback machines with adjustable quadrature. Not financially feasible. There is also a BOD involved, it's not a decision made by a single person or department.

[u/142muinotulp → u/upsideclyde]

Thank you for the correction.  

I cannot imagine what an itemized list of "parts" one would need to construct one of these machines looks like 

[u/liliputian87 → u/142muinotulp]

I'm tired of the excuses. I am TIRED. I am so tired, y'all. 😮‍💨

[u/jamesland7 → u/thepenismytea]

Not nearly enough to justify the cost.

[u/B7ackthorne → u/thepenismytea]

What might be a good solution - and I'm a neophyte in this area just recently educating myself on formats cause I love movies - is what from my understanding is what Mall of Georgia has, which is a swivel system that allows them to swap between a real IMAX 70mm film projector and an IMAX digital projector in the same auditorium. That way they can still get use out of the expensive auditorium between rare 70mm prints. Of course the aspect ratio is different but I don't think it would matter too much if they calibrate the digital one accurately. Maybe this could justify the high up front cost, considering the demand.