Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Movie-Theater Chains Take On IMAX

Topic Closed

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Community » Film-Yak » Movie-Theater Chains Take On IMAX (Page 13)

This topic comprises 17 pages: 1 2 3 ... 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Author

Topic: Movie-Theater Chains Take On IMAX

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-06-2014 11:44 AM

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
The marketing and branding behind IMAX is very sound. It is still is the leader in premium priced movie going experiences.

It's got far less to do with branding and more to do with ubiquity. Imax was the first company to be all over the map with gigantic screens. They just took their concept and watered it down to the point where it would fit in just about any complex, then sold the rights to various chains and allowed them to slap that famous logo on it. Imax was just first out of the gate, is all.

Regal or the others will always be playing "catch up" because their PLFs are only in their own locations, not spreak across multiple chains.

| IP: Logged

Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 01-06-2014 12:00 PM

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
You still view IMAX based on your narrow viewpoint, the general population does not care that there is a difference between 15/70 and digital. The marketing and branding behind IMAX is very sound. It is still is the leader in premium priced movie going experiences.

You're absolutely sure you're not working for the IMAX marketing department? Or is iMax becoming the equivalent of Apple? You know, they get their astroturfing for free.

| IP: Logged

Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 01-06-2014 01:21 PM

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
Bobby, don't be silly, you and I know branding and marketing are different but the concepts go together hand in hand. Anyone who believes that a company should create marketing campaigns without the company branding concepts in mind is an idiot. Brand awareness is rarely created/achieved without good marketing.

Specifically what did I write that was "silly" Terry? You got marketing and branding confused with each other in your last post and are now trying to back-pedal out of it. What I wrote regarding IMAX' branding and marketing was absolutely accurate.

Regarding that "idiot" comment, it sounds like you're trying to direct that at someone but are unable to do so yet spouting it anyway because you don't like anyone telling the honest truth about IMAX. I'm all for professional workmanship of advertising materials and a very consistent visual approach, including branding, across all of it. But I absolutely dislike misleading information or lack thereof in marketing and IMAX is guilty of this in its treatment of digital and 15/70 3D theaters and shows.

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
You still view IMAX based on your narrow viewpoint, the general population does not care that there is a difference between 15/70 and digital.

I don't have a narrow viewpoint, Terry. I know the truth about 15/70 and digital. That's not being narrow minded at all. You're cheerleading whatever product carries an IMAX label regardless of the details. I can call that blind or ignorant.

| IP: Logged

Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 01-06-2014 02:00 PM

quote: Bobby Henderson
I know the truth about 15/70 and digital. That's not being narrow minded at all.

Bobby, you do have a narrow minded viewpoint, I have never said that you don't know the truth, I for one prefer 15/70 over IMAX digital, just like you. But what you refuse to accept is that the general public has accepted digital IMAX. The average moviegoer does not view IMAX the way you are I do.

| IP: Logged

Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 01-06-2014 02:45 PM

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
But what you refuse to accept is that the general public has accepted digital IMAX. The average moviegoer does not view IMAX the way you are I do.

The average movie-goer doesn't know shit. You try in vain to spin this fact as if average movie-goers have somehow "accepted" IMAX digital when the real fact is they don't know any of the details and differences between various IMAX formats. IMAX is taking advantage of this problem with its misleading advertising tactics.

The only way how the general public could honestly, truthfully be in acceptance of IMAX Digital is if they knew the difference between 15/70mm and 2K digital and then in knowing the difference considered 2K digital an acceptable compromise that was good enough.

Also, what the hell difference does it make to you what I accept or refuse to accept? It sounds like you want me to love 2K IMAX Digital despite all its problems. That just isn't going to happen.

| IP: Logged

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-06-2014 03:50 PM

quote: Bobby Henderson
The only way how the general public could honestly, truthfully be in acceptance of IMAX Digital is if they knew the difference between 15/70mm and 2K digital and then in knowing the difference considered 2K digital an acceptable compromise that was good enough.

Terry also thinks that everyone who goes to an Imax Digital movie has "accepted Imax." That means nothing as well. I'd bet at least 75% of the people in any given movie theater (Imax or not) are there not because of some brand name or because "X" theaters are better than the competition, but because that theater was the most convenient one showing the movie they wanted to see at the time they wanted to see it.

| IP: Logged

Sam D. Chavez
Film God

Posts: 2153
From: Martinez, CA USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 01-06-2014 04:19 PM

The majority of moviegoers are sheep with cellphones and they will line up at the closest cinema as Mike says but we as equipment manufacturers, dealers cinema techs and staff should not stop trying to improve the experience to as close to the state of the art as possible.

The best of the audience will appreciate it and tell others. That's what gets us up in the morning, right?

| IP: Logged

Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 01-06-2014 04:29 PM

This...

And let's not forget that many of those sheep may eventually grow up and start to appreciate real quality and dedication.

| IP: Logged

Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 01-06-2014 05:05 PM

quote: Bobby Henderson
The only way how the general public could honestly, truthfully be in acceptance of IMAX Digital is if they knew the difference between 15/70mm and 2K digital and then in knowing the difference considered 2K digital an acceptable compromise that was good enough.

Bobby, you have not really been clear on something, you state that the average moviegoers does not know shit. So, for the record in Bobby's opinion, does the the average moviegoer not know the difference? Can't tell the difference? Does the average moviegoer think they know the difference and therefor they accept digital IMAX as superior?

Personally, I don't think the average moviegoer really cares, keep in my mind there have recently been a number of very successful digital only IMAX release films. Gravity was digital only.

If IMAX Digital was so bad, I would assume the average moviegoer would have rejected digital IMAX by now.

| IP: Logged

Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 01-06-2014 05:39 PM

Please note that neither Bobby, Mike nor I do claim that Digital IMAX is bad. If it was called DMAX (powered by IMAX) most of us would probably call it a decent big screen experience, but still nothing extraordinary.

But with the legacy of the "old" 15/70 format, Digital IMAX should really have been something else.

For example: If it would be a 8 x 2K projector extravaganza, with perfectly overlapping pictures, I personally wouldn't mind if they would've kept calling this super-digital format just "IMAX". Maybe they would've even be so proud of it that they explicitly stated that it now was digital and actually awesome.

| IP: Logged

Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 01-06-2014 06:47 PM

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
Bobby, you have not really been clear on something, you state that the average moviegoers does not know shit. So, for the record in Bobby's opinion, does the the average moviegoer not know the difference?

Terry, you appear hopelessly unable to wrap your brain around this point: the average movie goes DOESN'T KNOW there is any difference. How are they able to make any comparisons if they don't know there are two different things to compare?

Another important point: a bunch of these movie-goers have never really seen a true 15/65mm photographed and 15/70mm presented movie. Real IMAX movies have typically been documentaries shown in museum theaters, which isn't something that draws in the typical movie-goer since they think that kind of stuff is painfully boring. The closest most have been to seeing real 15/70 is from two Batman movies, provided that 1. they saw the movie in one of a limited number of theaters showing a 15/70 print (most IMAX branded theaters showed it in 2K digital) #2. they bothered to notice the quality difference -which I'm willing to bet most viewers didn't notice.

Your notion that the IMAX customer base is all well-informed and thus deliberately accepting of IMAX Digital is a bunch of horseshit.

quote: Marcel Birgelen
Please note that neither Bobby, Mike nor I do claim that Digital IMAX is bad.

Actually I am willing to call the current version of IMAX Digital "bad." The 2K resolution sucks. And it sucks on a grand scale when blown up on screens originally meant for 15/70mm material. When IMAX gets around to replacing all those 2K projectors with 4K projectors the product won't be nearly so bad. I have a serious issue with IMAX' sound system, particularly its method of using only two large surround speakers in the rear corners of the room. It's very deficient compared to 7.1 surround found in many standard priced theaters and obsolescent compared to Dolby Atmos.

| IP: Logged

Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 01-06-2014 07:00 PM

quote: Bobby Henderson
When IMAX gets around to replacing all those 2K projectors with 4K projectors the product won't be nearly so bad.

But do you honestly expect them to replace all the current 2K installs out there? Who's going to pay for that? IMAX Corp. themselves? The exhibitor? Or both?

It's not just the projectors or light engine that needs to be replaced, but their "image enhancer" and their servers probably too...

| IP: Logged

Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 01-06-2014 07:23 PM

quote: Bobby Henderson
the average movie goes DOESN'T KNOW there is any difference.

Then why can't you just move on from it? It must really bother you. The average does not care that they do not know. Are you that much of an idiot?

quote: Bobby Henderson
Your notion that the IMAX customer base is all well-informed

What is wrong with you. I never said that the IMAX customer based is well informed, I have said that the average moviegoer does not care. Bobby, you really are a piece of work.

quote: Bobby Henderson
Actually I am willing to call the current version of IMAX Digital "bad."

Yet you made a repeat visit to an IMAX digital screen after you saw Skyfall and then you wanted to go and see Gravity in IMAX digital after you had already seen it in Atmos.

| IP: Logged

Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 01-06-2014 07:46 PM

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
Then why can't you just move on from it? It must really bother you. The average does not care that they do not know. Are you that much of an idiot?

Not at all, but you're making yourself look like a moron and a shameless troll.

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
What is wrong with you. I never said that the IMAX customer based is well informed, I have said that the average moviegoer does not care.

A person walking around with nearly clogged arteries doesn't care about that either until a doctor informs him he has clogged arteries (or he keels over from a heart attack).

| IP: Logged

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-06-2014 09:44 PM

quote: Marcel Birgelen
replace all the current 2K installs out there? Who's going to pay for that? IMAX Corp. themselves? The exhibitor? Or both?

Neither. The customers will pay. The customers pay for everything.

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 17 pages: 1 2 3 ... 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.