Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Mummy Returns booking at Sony Imax

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Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 04-30-2001, 12:56 PM:

I noticed in the ad for THE MUMMY RETURNS in the NYT Sunday paper that the Sony Imax Theatre is playing this. No mention is made of it playing at Lincoln Square...specifically the Imax theatre.

Is Lincoln Square SONY or LOEWS? The NYT lists it as still be a SONY theatre.

I know it isn't in Imax, and although 70mm would be nice, I would doubt it. Is Universal booking this into Imax houses in ohter cities?

Also a note that ATLANTIS is playing the Ziegfeld in NYC for 1 week prior to the full opening. Again, a 70mm print would be nice at this showcase house.

Mark Lensenmayer

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 05-01-2001, 12:34 AM:

a lot of imax theaters that are owned buy theater chains have installed 35mm projection systems into those booths. They basicaly run the scope 35mm prints with digital sound during the non active imax schedules. Usually night shows. Basicaly a publicity stunt.

As far as the theaters name Loews, Loewscineplex and Sony are all the same entity.

Posted by Aaron Haney (Member # 747) on 05-01-2001, 01:00 AM:

It may be a publicity stunt but it's a dammed good one.

Last month, the Sony Metreon was still showing "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" on their IMAX screen. With no advertising other than their website and the marquee on the side of the building, they had a completely sold out show.

All they did was project the 35mm scope image just a bit below the middle of the screen. They were smart and did not try to fill the entire width of the screen. It was probably about 70 feet wide. A little dim, but not much.

I know some people don't like to watch movies jsut in the middle of a screen, with no masking; but when the lights when down it was dark enough to where you could pretty much ignore the rest of the screen.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-01-2001, 12:23 PM:

If you show 35mm prints on a huge screen, do your best to maintain presentation quality. Limit the image size to one that can still be projected with proper screen luminance without causing heat damage or severe "focus flutter". Doing so will also avoid the use of really short focal length lenses, which have very shallow depth of focus that makes heat-related focus flutter even more visible. Finally, pay attention to the placement, balance and equalization of the speakers, ideally installing and aligning the sound system specifically for the 35mm presentations.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Posted by Jonathan Haglund (Member # 807) on 05-02-2001, 04:10 AM:

My theatre chain regularly shows the most popular films on our IMAX screens. Star Trek, Star Wars, et al.

They are usually 11:30 and 1:30 shows, and they sell out almost every time. Presentation quality is always high too. The midddle of the screen thing becomes a non-issue since the movie is so good you can't be bothered by a little white above and below the picture, if you can see it at all.

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Jonathan Haglund
Edwards Theatre Circuit, Inc
Park Place 10

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 05-02-2001, 11:50 AM:

Well I gues I better chime in since cinesphere is the worlds first Imax theatre and from day one had a pair of Norelco AA2's installed.
We fill about 90% of the 84' wide screen for scope 35 or 70mm and about 60' for flat.
We used to run a 70mm festival during the off season but now we run evening 35mm shows after the regular IMAX day.
We use Strong Ultra80's with 7KW lamps and a full CP200 with SRD and DTS

Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 05-02-2001, 04:23 PM:

Mark,

Isn't it interesting the on-going brand confusion of Sony Theatres/Sony-Loews Theatres/Loews Theatres. Here in San Francisco, Sony Metreon is now listed as Loews Theatres Metreon and the Sony Imax (on the same floor of the same building, using same staff, concessions, etc.) is now the Loews Theatres Imax.

I remember when Sony bought Loews Theatres and there was a great deal of controversy over what would happen to Loews policy jingle ("Thank you for coming to Loews Enjoy the Show!) as Sony didn't rhyme with Show.

Looks to me like this is one instance when re-branding all the Loews Theatres as Sony Theatres or Sony Loews Theatres didn't work so they have reverted to Loews Theatres. Of course the fact that they are in financial trouble may be a good reason why Sony doesn't want their name on them.

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 05-02-2001, 09:11 PM:

In looking at the NYT, it looks like most of the theatres are now Loews except for the one with the Imax near Lincoln Center, which is still called the Sony. My guess is that it is commonly known as the "Sony" theatre, and they are keeping that name for that theatre to avoid confusion.

Friday's NYT will have more info on this booking.

Mark Lensenmayer

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 05-03-2001, 01:36 AM:

um... AFAIK Sony does not soley own Loews anymore. I believe they are a partial owner of the parent company Loews Cineplex Entertainment, which is all Loews, Sony, Cineplex Odeon, and Magic Johnson Cinemas.

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--Sean McKinnon
Asst. Manager/Projectionist
Gloucester Cinema 1-2-3

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 05-10-2001, 01:09 PM:

I had a meeting last night at the new "Opry Mills" Mall/Entertainment complex in Nashville and noticed that the "Regal - Opry Mills 20 / Imax" is showing "The Mummy Returns" on their IMAX screen.

I didn't see the film, but wouldn't the extreme curvature of an IMAX dome effect the on-screen proportion of the images on the screen? I'd assume this would be corrected by corrective lensing or flying a flat screen in-front of the dome?

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Barry Floyd
Floyd Entertainment Group
Nashville, Tennessee
(Drive-In Theatre - Start-Up)

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-10-2001, 01:22 PM:

Barry asked: "wouldn't the extreme curvature of an IMAX dome effect the on-screen proportion of the images on the screen?"

What's a little geometric distortion among friends?

AFAIK, the Regal Opry Mills is a conventional IMAX screen, and NOT a dome theatre:
Regal Opry Mills IMAX Theatre

It would be kind of difficult to fit a conventional projector in a dome theatre --- even IMAX moves the projector and fisheye lens up into a special "doghouse" for domes. Even if a dome theatre used a conventional projector, I suspect they would not use a custom lens or fly a flat screen. But if they maintain a reasonable sized image, most of the audience would probably accept the curved image as part of the "dome" experience. After all, many normal "flat" IMAX films are projected in dome theatres.

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 05-10-2001, 05:10 PM:

Quite a few Imax Dome theatres have a "penthouse" projection room with some slide projectors and that's where the 35/70 system has to go. A room is built with one wall either projecting through the dome at the rear with projection ports, or "portholes" are cut in the dome with the metal screen cutouts removable for ports.The 35/70 picture is not great because of the deep curve and the obvious focus problem but it is acceptable.
There is, by the way, a special (C.389) Imax lens for projecting flat prints on a dome screen. They used to be included with the systems but nobody used them. Although the picture area was undistorted and complete, it is not filling the entire dome like Omnimax.Dome prints do. The management prefers the "big picture" with awesome distortion and about 30% of the image lost.

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 05-14-2001, 09:57 AM:

Just wanted to complete the thought here. MUMMY RETURNS is playing at Lincoln Square only in the IMAX room, last show of the day.

Mark Lensenmayer

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 05-14-2001, 10:38 AM:

I have seen elsewhere that the prints of Mummy Returns currently being screened in various Imax cinemas are "enhanced".

Does this mean they are just lighter prints or what?

BTW DW welcome to Film Tech I wondered what you were up to .

Posted by Harry Robinson (Member # 265) on 05-14-2001, 11:34 AM:

The IMAX at Opry Mills is a flat screen I believe. I'm sure Gordon will confirm that. I haven't had the opportunity to get out there yet. I'm planning to later this summer. I've seen 35mm scope on IMAX before and it's okay, but nothing to write home about. The one I saw was in San Antonio, and image brightness was a real problem.

Oops! I just re-read Gordon's post. I guess we all know that Opry Mills is a flat screen now.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-14-2001, 02:41 PM:

Dick Vaughan asked: "I have seen elsewhere that the prints of Mummy Returns currently being screened in various Imax cinemas are "enhanced". Does this mean they are just lighter prints or what?"

AFAIK, they are normal 35mm release prints.

Posted by Rob Brooks (Member # 186) on 05-28-2001, 10:30 PM:

Mark,
I work at the Sony theater you inquired about. On the weekends Mummy Returns showed the last 3 shows of the day starting around 5 PM. During the week just the last show. This past weekend the IMAX had Pearl Harbor for the last 3 shows starting at 3PM. During the week Pearl will be the last 2 shows starting at 7PM. I'm in the the 12 downstairs, not the IMAX. The IMAX booth for 35 uses a regular Strong simplex 1060 Head. A Christie SLC 70-2 Lamphouse with a 7K Osram bulb. Our IMAX almost always shows whatever is the hottest 35mm film out for the last show every weekend. But since Gladiator was rerleased for IMAX screens it's been more than that.

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Rob