Where smell-o-vision failed, modern enhancements to the movie-going experience such as AMC Theatres’ IMAX Experience are positioned to thrive.
You can judge the improvements yourself midnight Friday when the highly anticipated remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic “The Day the Earth Stood Still” opens at IMAX auditoriums at AMC Columbia Mall and AMC White Marsh.
“We do everything possible to immerse the audience in the movie,” said Jackson Myers, IMAX spokesman. “That involves combining crystal clear images delivered by the digital projector system with the laser-aligned digital sound — calibrated specifically for each theater and the customized theater geometry that ensures every seat is in a good listening position.
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“We also acoustically treat the walls so they absorb the sound. Usually when a regular sound system is turned up, the sound reverberates and turns into lots of noise. With the power of our system, you could hear a pin drop. That really plays an important role in the IMAX Experience.”
Though the IMAX Experience screens are slightly curved and 25 percent larger than typical screens, they aren’t the 50-foot-tall, domed giants you’ve seen at educational venues such as the Maryland Science Center. Nor will they only show IMAX science and nature documentaries. Hyped Hollywood films expected to be major blockbusters, such as Michael Bay’s “Transformers” sequel, will be shot and projected using IMAX technology.
“The amount of information that an IMAX camera can capture is unparalleled,” Myers said.
In July 2008, the Columbia Mall’s IMAX auditorium was the first of 100 IMAX digital projection systems scheduled to be installed at AMC Theatres in 33 major U.S. markets through 2010. White Marsh’s IMAX system was added in September.
AMC won’t release how much they made on their smaller-scale partnership with IMAX in 2005 that added five IMAX systems to the theater chain. However, that previous partnership lead the company to embark on a grander distribution of IMAX auditoriums, said AMC spokesman Justin Scott.
