Saturday, January 18, 2014

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - IMAX or Cinerama


For those of you that are trying to figure out exactly which movie theater will give you the most bang for your hard earned buck when you head out to see Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, I have put together some information that I hope will help you make the right choice.

Now, I'm not going to compare every screen in the greater Seattle area, but I am going to give you the lowdown on the two big players. The Seattle Cinerama and the Pacific Science Center IMAX theaters. Right off the bat, you're thinking..."No contest, IMAX wins every time!".

Clearly you need to read my other blog post regarding IMAX.
You can read it HERE, but finish this article first.


Normally, I would agree with the IMAX sentiment assuming the movie is playing in the unbelievably awesome "Boeing IMAX Theater", but keep in mind there are some movies, such as the huge mega blockbuster The Avengers, that have been playing at the Pacific Science Center's still-awesome-but-not-nearly-as-impressive "PACCAR IMAX Theater".

Clearly you need to read my other blog post regarding IMAX.
You can read it HERE, but finish this article first.

Normally, I would agree with the IMAX sentiment assuming the movie is playing in the unbelievably awesome "Boeing IMAX Theater", but this time around Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit will be playing in the Science Center's still-awesome-but-not-nearly-as-impressive "PACCAR IMAX Theater".


Oh, you didn't know there was more than one IMAX screen at the Science Center? Well, now that you know, I'm going to keep this simple and just throw down some basic theater screen stats for you to review.

The PACCAR IMAX Theater:
Height: 35 feet
Width: 60 feet
Capacity: 350
Adult Ticket: $14.75

The Seattle Cinerama:
Height: 30 feet
Width: 68 feet
Capacity: 808
Adult Ticket: $12.00


For those really wondering, here is one more.

Regal Thornton Place IMAX Theater:
Height: 28.5 feet
Width: 48 feet
Adult IMAX Ticket: $18.25!!

The last set of stats is basically what you will also find at the Lincoln Square Theater IMAX, Southcenter Mall IMAX, Alderwood Mall IMAX, and any other "IMAX" theater that is in a mall. If you live in one of those areas, save yourself some cash for popcorn or candy and see the movie on a non "IMAX" screen. You really won't miss anything.

Another key decision-making factor is that Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit does NOT contain any scenes that were filmed using actual IMAX cameras. With this in mind, the uniquely shaped screen of an IMAX theater will not be fully utilized without an actual IMAX filmed image being projected onto it. This has the most impact on the height measurement of an IMAX screen so take that into consideration when looking at the stats above.

The filmmakers behind Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit actually implemented a digital post conversion process which is the standard way to get a movie on to IMAX screens from the original 35mm or 70mm source material. Below is a list of the only major motion pictures ever to have any actual IMAX footage:




For my money, the Cinerama is the logical choice as it not only has a very comparable screen size to the PACCAR IMAX, but you also get a huge auditorium with comfortable seats and reasonable concession prices. Hopefully I have given you enough information to make the best choice, but whatever you do, go see Ender's Game in a movie theater, you will not be disappointed!


Want to know more about IMAX screens that aren't even anywhere near as big as the non-IMAX Cinerama screen? Go ahead and check out the other article I mentioned earlier. You may never go back to any of the mall "IMAX" theaters ever again.




 


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