70mm IMAX Is Breaking Because It Is Still A Machine

Then there is the machine itself. KLAS reported that Brenden Theaters opened in 2001 and first brought in its two 70mm projectors for The Matrix, then used them for Interstellar in 2014. For The Odyssey, the theater added shows to meet demand.

Near the end of July, according to KLAS, some Odyssey showings were canceled after a mechanical failure. A Brenden Theaters spokesperson told the station the problem involved the air compressor that supports the IMAX 70mm projection system. A replacement part came from Canada, an IMAX specialist traveled with it, local plumbers disconnected and reconnected water lines, and a new air dryer was installed.

About 24 hours later, KLAS reported, the main compressor motor failed too. Another part was flown in the same day, and technicians inspected the system again before restarting it. Brenden did not give KLAS the exact number of lost shows.

Hoodline, citing KLAS and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, added one sharper detail: Brenden Theatres Chief Operating Officer Robert Lyle said staff paused 70mm shows after a stability issue made the film strip jump inside the projector, risking permanent damage to the print.

That is not a ticket tier. That is a projection booth trying not to chew up a movie.

Photos: DiscoA340 · CC0 · source 1, source 2

Denver Got The Cruel Version

The Denver Post reported that the Regal UA Colorado Center’s 70mm IMAX projector failed again on July 27, after the only two Colorado projectors capable of showing The Odyssey in the fullest format had already broken down the week before.

The audience had waited about half an hour for a 7 p.m. show when theater staff said the IMAX projector was down, according to the Post. The other Colorado machine was in Colorado Springs.

The story gets nastier because this was not merely a missed night out. One moviegoer told the Post he and his group had come from five places. They had already rescheduled once after the earlier projector failure. Another audience member said he had bought tickets about a month and a half ahead and had strong seats, with prime shows booked for weeks.

The Post reported that when the IMAX projector failed the previous week, a replacement digital showing also crashed. That detail has the dry comedy of real exhibition: even the backup plan can fail.

Photos: DiscoA340 · CC0 · source 1, source 2

The Format Needs People

The Mercury News reported that IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond said at The Odyssey premiere that one reason there are not more 70mm IMAX theaters is simple: no one has made the projectors for about 50 years. The same report said the machines require specialized projectionists who know how to handle the format.

KLAS reported that two specialized IMAX technicians, from a national pool of only about 90, were flown in to run the Palms screenings. Hoodline reported that roughly 25 specialty theaters around the country had technical issues and overheating problems during The Odyssey’s 70mm run.

The Providence Journal gave the best image of scale: at Providence Place, The Odyssey ran from a platter the size of a dinner table. The paper also reported that Apple Cinemas extended the Providence IMAX 70mm run to September 16 after the first batch sold out weeks ahead.

The Providence Journal, citing Variety, said bringing more projectors back required rebuilding, retrofitting and taking parts from dead machines, raising the worldwide running total to 41. It also reported that Providence had a new screen, a refreshed lobby, a new single digital laser projector and more speakers, while The Odyssey still used the prized IMAX film projector.

Digital can be clean, loud and bright. Film can be alive in a way that makes the room feel different. It can also stop cold.

San Jose Has An Empty Dome

Sal Pizarro of the Mercury News used the crush around The Odyssey to make a local argument: revive San Jose’s Century 21 as a first-class IMAX theater.

The facts make the dream hurt a little. The Mercury News reported that the Century 21 opened in 1964, closed in 2014, and became a San Jose historical landmark that same year. It has been empty since. Federal Realty, owner of Santana Row, controls its fate, according to the paper. Plans were announced for adaptive reuse as a fitness center, cafe and conference facility, but Pizarro reported that no on-site work appeared to be happening yet.

The building has the bones for a big room. The Mercury News reported the dome is 55 feet high and 124 feet in diameter, and Pizarro argued that those dimensions should allow for a screen large enough for 70mm IMAX plus regular widescreen presentations. The Century 21 was originally designed for ultrawide Cinerama movies.

The Bay Area has only two 70mm IMAX options for The Odyssey, according to the Mercury News: AMC Metreon in San Francisco and Regal Hacienda Crossings in Dublin. The same report said both were sold out or nearly sold out for weeks, with resale tickets for some shows going for hundreds over face value.

A revived Century 21 would not solve the projector problem by itself. It would still need the rare machine, the parts, the trained booth, and the patience to keep it running when heat and metal push back. But that is the honest promise of 70mm IMAX now: a giant image held together by people who know how to keep old equipment breathing.