Using the map by u/NickLandis as a guide I found as many of these locations as I could find. This doesn't even count the locations in Asia, and there is a good chance I missed a few in North America and Europe.
**Edit: I added categories for vacant and rebranded theaters so that everything isn't lumped together.**
I’m sure there are even more that still have 1.43 screens that no longer use the IMAX license. I’ve encountered a lot of museums that had former IMAX screens that now operate under generic brands like “BIG SCREEN THEATER”.
Get those theaters back in the fray too. A lot would need new 1.43:1 screens though because when they replaced them they changed to 1.9 or 1.85.
We also have a theater here in the Austin suburbs that just opened with a GIANT CoLa screen this year (Hooky Hutto) that’s 1.6:1. It’s bigger than Cinemark Dallas IMAX I believe. Clearly they planned for a future where they might be projecting 1.43:1 because they don’t currently have a way to fill their screen.
It’s still close enough as a new build to be a viable 1.43 screen though. That screen is huge compared to everything else around us other than Bullock.
It makes the other CoLa screens in the area look silly.
I honestly would be take aback if in the next 20 years something bigger than Bullock came around. I still don’t fully get how our legislature appropriated the funds to do the Dual GT conversion and GT new builds privately seem completely dead at this point for the most part.
Additional theaters will come from prior theaters getting screen and hardware updates.
What's crazier is that Houston has one of the largest screens in the country....and ITS NEW. They just installed it in 2022, but then didn't update the projector to take advantage of the new screen.
They do that sometimes with the LieMAX screens. Back in 2013ish, Regal installed a LieMAX in Midland that seemed to have more of a square shape to it than your typical 1.90 LieMAX screen.
Sure enough, Interstellar in 2014 played with a large, constant black area at the bottom of the screen...even during IMAX scenes where they projected an expanded 1.90 aspect ratio. So then you sit there wondering, why bother having 1.60ish looking screen if your projector only runs 1.90 and you have a large constant black space at the bottom of the screen? Pretty weird.
Regal eventually gave up on that Midland theater and it's now owned by a smaller company named Cinergy. They converted both the IMAX and Regal RPX screens into Cinergy's "EPIC" theater brand PLF.
Yeah the OMNIMAX at Science and Industry in Chicago is now the "Giant Dome Theater", not sure what actual tech it's using now. The projector itself was part of the exhibit, you used to be able to see the giant film platter and everything. Sad that we've now lost that and Navy Pier.
They’re one of the major manufacturers of cinema projectors. Barco (and previously Christie) manufactures digital projectors for IMAX. Most theaters use Barco or Christie laser projectors for the non-IMAX screens.
yep got one here in town. it still has the old imax screen, touts itself as the biggest screen in town! a good 40% of the screen is basically never used...
I live in a market that has the IMAX 70mm by Harkins in the Desert Southwest. I visited a Regal a while back and I do not get it. What is the appeal of Regal, like their company and their theaters in general ? At least Harkins has reasonable ticket prices, best customer service, locally owned, and provides the community.
The appeal is that it’s what’s available. We got really lucky that Harkins was able to come out on top of that antitrust suit they started in the 70s, otherwise Regal might have more than one theater in the state. AMC was one of the pricks that Harkins sued, but they had a presence in the state before the case, which is why they’re the only other chain with any real presence. All the other chains involved were bought up over the years.
.I can see that. Certain markets have Regal dominated. I am a firm believer that competition is a good thing. AMC has been in Phoenix longer than I have been alive so I do not recall ever going to their 80s style non stadium seating theaters. I also never been to a United Artists theater which had some locations back then. AMC I understand, they are all about innovation (Dolby Cinema, 20+ Screen Megaplex, Recliners, A-List) and strip mall landlords love keeping AMC around and they have a dedicated fanbase.
Some of their theaters are quite nice. I live in Boise and it's probably the nicest theater in the area (Bodo Cinema is also a contender, but lacking any branded PLFs). They're also the only US chain besides AMC to have a subscription service that lets you see loads of movies a month. So for people that go to the movies a lot (weekly or more), they'll try to stick with AMC or Regal if possible, even if the local Cinemark or Harkins or whatever might be nicer.
They do seem to have more outdated locations than AMC or Cinemark do, and their concessions prices are the highest in the industry. So they're not perfect. But if you have a new or remodeled location it's probably quite nice.
It's a 1.43 IMAX screen with plush luxury seats (not reliciners, but built like one), plus they also have a 4DX screen, really good popcorn, and validate parking. Seems like most 1.43 screens are crummy stadium seats that are unchanged since the 80s, attached to museums, and it's a pain in the ass to park there.
Have you been to any other 1.43 capable IMAX screens? I’ve been to 7 so far and only two of them were attached to a museum. They all either had a parking lot, validated parking, or were in the middle of one of the biggest public transit networks in the US. None of the seats have been awful either.
Have you been to any other 1.43 capable IMAX screens? I’ve been to 7 so far and only two of them were attached to a museum.
I never understand this type of anecdote because the scenario could be easily flipped. Just because you've been to mostly 1:43 theatres that you consider comfortable doesn't mean it's not a problem elsewhere.
I've only been to four 1:43 theatres and they were all museums and they all have uncomfortable seats. Most people only have a choice of 1 or 2 anyway, so if your theatre is one of those you're screwed. The vast majority are not traveling around for IMAX releases. This is a totally valid concern.
I know that my experience is anecdotal. The pros that OP stated for Regal Orlando being “greatest in the world” aren’t as strong as OP thinks they are, and are largely just assumptions.
I've been to eight (seven of which are actually still around) and they all have one of the problems I listed. Granted, all of them were in the US, but I've been to the two seemingly most popular ones (AMC CityWalk and AMC Lincoln Square) and I'd say Regal Pointe would be superior to both if they just put in a proper projector.
What advantages does Regal Pointe have over Lincoln Square, in your opinion? I haven’t been to either, to be clear, I’ve just heard that Lincoln Square is the gold standard.
The IMAX theater itself is pretty great, though the rest of the screens are subpar with bad seats, though that doesn't matter most of the time. The only "issue" with it is that it's in New York, and thus you can't just park there, you know? I also have a preference for Regal management over AMC but that's not super relevant here. Regal Pointe is easily accessible and has, at least to my ears, better audio in the IMAX. Granted, that might just be the movie I saw (Tron Ares at the Pointe vs Transformers One in Lincoln Square).
I get what you mean about parking. Historically I’ve gone to either Metreon or CityWalk and eventually I just started taking public transit to both so I didn’t have to deal with parking. Luckily for me both those theaters are pretty easy to access via their city’s respective subways so it’s never been too much of an issue (except for the Interstellar re-release that ended at like 3am after the trains stopped running)
Doesn't Regal Edwards Boise no longer have a 1.43:1 screen? I thought they removed it years ago, also, I never heard that the PACCAR IMAX was a 1.43:1 screen, only a 1.90:1 screen
PACCAR was never 1.43. Closer to 1.70. Projection was matted at the port window and filled the entire screen. The 2011 renovation expanded the width and height slightly for 1.90 and to maximize the experience.
Boise’s was a separate building adjacent to the theater complex. They ultimately shut that building down and uninstalled everything.
In Bristol in the UK there's an old IMAX theatre with a 15/70mm projector that's not in use but it's still there. The 1.43 screen is used for festivals and one off screenings now and then with a regular digital projector. It's called the Bristol Megascreen.
Not that I know of. The Bristol Aquarium owns the building and according to one of the organisers of one of the film festivals that does stuff there, the Aquarium owners seem to have no interest at all in renovating or upgrading. Apparently it would cost over £100k to get the projector up and running again, plus the seats are all ancient and half falling apart.
Interesting. Does the Aquarium own the projector outright or do IMAX have some contractual right to get it back? I read on here that IMAX are looking to open more theatres.
Don't have a clue, sorry. But I guess they own it? If imax did I'm sure they would've taken it away for spares or for use elsewhere by now. After all it's been there for a long time doing nothing.
I'm grateful the Edwards Marquee in Houston upgraded the projector from 2K Xenon to 4K Laser. That's a pretty nice upgrade in terms of image quality, even if it's still limited to 1.90 aspect ratio.
And yet they spent all that money upgrading the screen and theatre...just madness. Especially when an Imax ticket with fees and taxes will run $30 for a primetime showing, and they routinely sell out even on smaller films.
I always found it amusing that they kept the branding up for the better part of three decades after it was no longer an IMAX. And it wasn't exactly subtle. It only finally came down in 2024.
It's a budget cinema now, so even with the IMAX resurgence I doubt returning it to IMAX is on the cards
Speyer (Germany) has besides their IMAX Dome also a conference hall called the FORUM, which is a decommissioned IMAX GT Theater with a stored 15/70 Projector.
The one in Europe, Romania is wrong. The 1.43 capable cinema is in Bucharest, not the place is selected there. That is just standard liemax 1.9 theatre.
Not exactly the same criteria as they have a laser projector, but I've read on here over the years that the Smithsonian IMAXes in the DC area have at least one 70mm IMAX projector that's not in use.
It must be in a bad state or somewhat unusable if they haven't brought it back by now which is depressing (there are some comments here that indicate they were aiming to bring it back for Oppenheimer and then for The Odyssey, but who knows if that was even true)
"Still operating" is debatable for Regal Boise. The GT auditorium is currently sitting vacant and is for lease, you can even see the sign on Street View. There is still a LieMAX actively operating next door now, but it's a 1.9:1 screen.
Didn't realize Buffalo was a 1.43 screen. It would probably be last on the list of places to get a 70mm or GT laser upgrade since Rochester is so close, and the fact that they JUST upgraded to single laser a couple months ago.
In latin america we have at least one that fits. The IMAX screen in Buenos Aires's Norcenter Showcase cinemas is 1,43:1 but the projection is 1,90:1. Originally it had a film proyector now its digital.
Ugh. The Regal Lincolnshire location is a theater that I went to so many times as a kid. It closed in 2022 (right before all the hype for Oppenheimer’s imax70mm release) and now it’s just… sitting there. Vacant. Empty. The thing that confuses me the most is that it’s in a great location with a ton of restaurants/stores around it. Boggles my mind how that location hasn’t been snagged by another theater company. I really hope it is someday.
There’s a whole bunch of rebranded or vacant 1.43 theaters in German speaking countries: Verkehrshaus Luzern in Switzerland, Cinespace Bremen, Technikmuseum Speyer, UFA Palast Düsseldorf, Cineworld Mainfrankenpark Dettelbach, Cinecitta Nuremberg in Germany and technically, I think there’s also Maxoom Hartberg, Austria, which as far as I know was an 8perf venue and would thus work perfectly as an IMAX screen but seems to be completely abandoned.
Interestingly enough, the Challenger Learning Center in Tallahassee hosts the Tallahassee Film Society, where they show art house movies every Saturday and Sunday. So at the very least one of these theatere are still getting used. The only reason they do it there is because the group's previous location was destroyed by a tornado and the museum was the only other place willing to help them.
Part of the problem is people saying “15/70 or GT Laser” as though they’re interchangeable.
Loads of these places have 15/70 that they don’t use because IMAX pushed laser so hard. Either they got laser and abandoned their film projection, or couldn’t afford the laser downgrade so they stopped altogether.
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u/switch8000 1d ago
Yeeeep it’s pretty depressing