[JackNet]

IMAX has always been somewhat mystifying to me when i was younger. I didn't exactly grew up in the mainland US, so I never got the opportunity to go to one. Yes, I'm aware Di$ney Soarin' Over California (and its EPCOT counterpart) did use an IMAX-based system but it was never implied that it was so I dismissed it. It's not until just recently near the middle of high school I've been to the OmnIMAX by the science museum I volunteered at to which then I got to even see one. It was great, it was large, it blew me away. Same can be said with the one in the Kennedy Space Center's visitor park.

I did a little bit of further researching and noticed IMAX had a big heyday throughout the 1990s, but ever since I got to seeing em it has been in a constant downfall. By 2008-2009, they introduced cheaper "IMAX experience" installations (fondly known as LieMAX) and how everyone hated em (Even Roger Ebert himself attached his hatred of LieMAX to his grave). Even I've been into two of them and they just didn't translate well, except for the sound which was more or less comparable. The screen was like any normal theater screen. Not to mention IMAX Corporation's focus on more action blockbusters instead of providing variety by also including those soothing docs that were on the legit venues.

The OmnIMAX dome I've frequented that's just a 30 minute drive closed off for good as the science museum was doing some pretty detrimental crap. While this is a bit off-topic to the topic of IMAX, long story short they downsized everything into the kiddie building and they've since had sour conflict with the county school boards. Ever since that dome one closed off, 2 other installations faced their doom plus another to be replaced with a competing system that might not be able to fill up the screen size. The only comparable venue of its type in the state of Florida is the science center in Orlando despite it using a competing system by SimEx-Iwerks but it is 100% compatible with the 15/70mm film IMAX systems use (Like how Compaqs were IBM compatible systems), the one in Ft Lauderdale (They moved to a digital IMAX laser system but it is able to fill the screen with films made in the 1.43:1 aspect ratio of real IMAX), and the ones at the Kennedy Center.

I understand the cost and obsolescence of film stock is a contributing factor to this issue, but the diminishing number of opportunities to see something in proper IMAX, in favor of the cheap shit the Corp wants to keep up, is inevitably inbound. I have several films I can name from the IMAX back-catalog that I've yet to see how they were meant to be seen. IMAX does imply they have a vault, but it's not a good idea to trust a corporation to preserve material (e.g. Nintendo and Di$ney). Doesn't help that you can't actually tour IMAX's facilities up in Ontario. To me, not being able to see a film as originally presented is as if it never existed at all, and it is a sad reality to live with indeed.

[Raion]

I've been at a "real" IMAX at the OMSI in Oregon off the Columbia River.

It's a good experience. I hate that film is going the way of the dodo - I intend to pick up some discount HD film cameras when they are cheap enough.

[Raion]

https://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2013/0..._port.html

Found it. FUCKING A IT CLOSED DOWN TOO!

[JackNet]

There is an Omnimax theater at a science center in a major city not too far away from me. Still operating the 70MM film projector as far as I know. Have been there many times over the years throughout the 90's and early 00's. I think the first one I ever saw was Alaska: Spirit of The Wild.

Unfortunately that Science Center hasn't fared so well in recent years. It has become a gigantic daycare center full of screaming kids and also seemed to lose much of its charm when it was renovated in the mid 2000's, which resulted in the retirement of many classic exhibits. They would be in big trouble if they were ever to lose the IMAX though.

There is also IMAX in Niagara Falls (Pyramid Place), but that place is looking really shabby lately. It's future may be uncertain.

And yes, it's not a good idea to trust large corporations to preserve things properly. Like for instance the Alvin show from the 1960's, most of which has been reportedly ruined due to neglect of the originals. Also with Disney, they've been cutting off access to original films under their ownership (including the 20th Century Fox back-catalogue they got), so they can lock them away and sell you their woke new remakes on Disney+ instead.

There's still going to be those that will certainly survive, especially in IMAX's home country of Canada. I do understand their intentions in replacing film. IMAX film equipment was heavy, bulky, expensive, at times noisy, etc., and the initial revisions of the system in the 80s were restrained to 40 minute's worth of film, so it really didn't see practical use outside of independent documentary film-making. By the way, that's where the set 40 minute length for even today's giant format docs comes from. IMAX Corp is slowly retrofitting laser projectors to the old venues that still ran in 70mm film; laser projectors that are able to accommodate the giant screen size and the 1.43:1 aspect ratio which I have seen and can give it a pass. However, this is only a retrofit that the Corp thinks they're forced to do. IMAX now-a-days wants to be more of a "experience brand" (hence their departure to being a certification standard in cooperation with DTS) rather than to support the format they started out with. The LieMAX venues don't appear to be going anytime soon, and there's little to no remedy action IMAX Corp is willing to do as a response to the dying legit venues. Not even showing docs at all in the LieMAX venues, at least during grade school hours. Only Hollywood releases that are "digitally remastered" to the widescreen aspect used in LieMAX. I've heard that Dolby Cinema (which combines Dolby's Atmos spatial audio and Vision HDR standards) greatly outperforms what those "IMAX experiences" you see in cinema chains have. They are going to replace those projectors in LieMAX installations with laser ones, but that doesn't exactly fix the underlying issue of what IMAX at core stood for.

Ditto with the "science centers being gigantic daycare centers" thing. The science museum I used to volunteer, which is literally next door by my college campus, has since been receiving very mixed reviews after the downgrade. The fact they shoved all their exhibits into what used to be the one kiddie building made the experience dramatically shorter. The thing is that the kiddie building is the property of the governing organization of the museum, while the old buildings they had are property of the county (Including the OmnIMAX). The county has no idea what to do with em, even after convincing the commissioner to consider finding partners/sponsors to upkeep the OmnIMAX in some way. They expect to demolish it within the next few years as the science museum moves downtown (which they literally wasted their funding on surveying why moving downtown is better; of fucking course you will get more guests downtown).

Also, Disney plus? More like Disney minus. LOL at the "woke new remakes" bit. My brother is subscribed to Disney minus and we just share the account. The first thing I watched on it was Fantasia 2000. That actually had an IMAX release when it first came out. Too bad you can't even see it now (even if you convince both parties with briefcases loaded with millions on em lol).

I've been at a "real" IMAX at the OMSI in Oregon off the Columbia River.

It's a good experience. I hate that film is going the way of the dodo - I intend to pick up some discount HD film cameras when they are cheap enough.

https://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2013/0..._port.html

Found it. FUCKING A IT CLOSED DOWN TOO!

Yeah, it's a bummer that one closed. Can confirm with LFexaminer (http://www.lfexaminer.com/theaclosed.htm). LFexaminer is probably the most useful database for what still stands and what has fallen. Look for venues with IMAX 1570 or DL. Here's the database for the US: (http://www.lfexaminer.com/theaUSA.htm). I was considering joining the Giant Screen association to at least study how this downfall situation is happening from the perspective of those who still care (inb4 Christopher Nolan), attending their events if possible, but friggin $250 annually ($75 if a student). https://www.giantscreencinema.com/

[JackNet]

Christopher Nolan's dropping another pure IMAX creation next year. If only we had more directors willing to exploit the format during the core creation process like he does. Most films released in "IMAX" at this point are shoved way into post production and are given a quick and dirty digital remastering job to make it fit just enough to an IMAX screen.

https://youtu.be/oVftZ0WUjVY