IMAX is coming to a theater near you this fall, with the Sept. 9 premier of Contagion, a thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh starring Matt Damon, scheduled to appear via the “IMAX Experience” at AMC Georgetown 14 on K Street.
The IMAX Experience is a modified version of the IMAX theaters in the Museum of Natural History and the Air and Space Museum on the National Mall, and has been dubbed “IMAX-lite” by Ian Buckwalter of the DCist. Like Buckwalter, several local bloggers have expressed contempt and skepticism toward what would appear to be an advance for the theater experience.
But many would argue to the contrary: the IMAX Experience preserves IMAX”ssignature sound quality and involves the same dual digital projection as in the traditional IMAX theaters. The resolution of the projected images is classified as “2K,” making IMAX dual projection superior in quality to normal movie screens with 2k resolution, but sources report that most movie chains have begun to install to 4K resolution projectors in their theaters. If the transition is completed on schedule, the IMAX Experience at AMC Georgetown will have been trumped in terms of image quality in its first year.
Critics are wondering if the IMAX Experience will live up to its snazzy name, or if IMAX is better experienced through the traditional setup at the Smithsonian. We’ll just have to wait until Sept. 9 and see for ourselves.
