Going out to a movie isn’t unusual for most people, but with new technology, people can feel part of the movie more than ever with IMAX films.
Worldwide, IMAX theater sales more than doubled last year to $546 million from the original $270 million in 2009, according to the New York Times.
Carolyn Miller, senior, enjoyed her IMAX experience when seeing Harry Potter and a Titanic film.
“I thought it was cooler because the screen is bigger and there was better sound,” Miller said. “When I went on a field trip with my class to see the movie about the Titanic, they did this thing before the movie started where they showed where all the speakers were behind the screen. I thought it was really interesting.”
Even with impressive reviews from many viewers, the U.S. is far ahead of other countries with number of IMAX theaters. China only has 23 and there are only 528 worldwide, according to the IMAX official website. The IMAX industry is striving to spread their theaters and lower ticket prices. Seventy-five new theaters are being added to China alone this year, according the New York Times.
One way the IMAX plans on increasing their sales are through traveling domes.
IMAX domes are about the size of an indoor tennis court and can fit up to 450 people. The screen wraps around 180 degrees and is tilted 30 degrees at the audience, according to The Franklin Institute. The screen is 70 feet across and over four stories high.
Miller said she would be worried about the sound quality for the portable IMAX theaters, but according to The Wallstreet Journal the walls are treated in order to ensure the same quality of sound for a normal IMAX.
IMAX portable theaters are still new as of 2010, however, and few are actually travelling.
IMAX theaters are also adding to more screens to popular theater companies. Regal Entertainment Theaters and AMC Theaters now have IMAX screens installed in their buildings.
Miller doesn’t think IMAX movies should spread into all genres though.
“It’s good for certain movies,” Miller said. “It’s good for ones that are action packed, but for movies that are romantic comedies and it’s mostly people walking around, it doesn’t need to be in IMAX. Maybe scary movies or movies with special effects though.”
As for price, the cost is usually about $13.
“[The price is] kind of high for people like me who don’t have jobs. So I have to be careful when I see them,” Kristen McCowan, sophomore, said. “For some people without jobs, it won’t be worth the extra money.”
While Miller had no complaints about the price, she did not like how the front section of seats was too close.
“It’s hard to focus [when you sit close up],” Miller said. “It’s right up in your face and sometimes gets pixilated because the images are stretched too far across the screen.”
But with the price continually going down and IMAX putting up more theaters over the next years, IMAX is certainly not going away any time soon.