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IMAX Victoria


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#1 LocalMom

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Posted 17 January 2014 - 08:15 PM

So I received an email from the Museum/IMAX theatre asking to fill out a survey - curious as to what it was about, I did so. It appears the Museum is playing with the idea of dropping the IMAX part of their name/billing, and had four other ideas for names - asking to rank them in the survey.

 

Wonder what the IMAX billing adds to their cost... and what would cause them to drop it.

 

Any ideas?



#2 Mike K.

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Posted 17 January 2014 - 09:23 PM

What were the name options?

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#3 LocalMom

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Posted 18 January 2014 - 09:11 AM

Ack - I knew someone would ask that - I wish I could remember and I went back to try to take the survey again and it wouldn't let me, of course.

 

I remember one for sure cause it has the word Mammoth in it... like in Victoria Mammoth Theatre or some such. Another has the RBC Museum name in it - as in RBCM Giant Theatre or something. Then instead of RBCM they just had Victoria Giant Theatre (it wasn't Giant but it was something like that). And the fourth  I cannot remember.

 

Wow - a lot of help I am.

 

But the gist of the survey was asking how much the IMAX moniker made me go to the theatre, etc. And then the name choices.

 

Not very often one hears of an IMAX pulling OUT of a spot (although they did in London, Ontario - that is for sure) - so I wonder if it is IMAX trying to initiate this or just the RBCM. I imagine it is the museum  - in tandem with all their changes going on in the near future.



#4 Mike K.

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Posted 18 January 2014 - 09:19 AM

It's an internationally recognized brand and viewing format that surely draws a lot of people. I couldn't imagine the "Mammoth Theater" would have the same draw an IMAX does, but if it makes sense for the RBCM's future plans then so be it.


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#5 LocalMom

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Posted 18 January 2014 - 12:56 PM

Official word: 

 

We believe the IMAX experience and brand name is VERY important, but as we look ahead to a conversion to digital projection technology we wanted to re-affirm this belief with our customers – thus the survey.



#6 Mike K.

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 09:48 AM

Theatre director Paul Wild reached out to us to discuss what's really going on with the IMAX questionnaire some people, like Local Mom, are receiving.

 

 

Imax.jpg

 

Victoria’s IMAX Theatre plans for the future

By Mike Kozakowski

http://vibrantvictor...cts-its-future/

 

The IMAX Victoria Theater in the Royal British Columbia Museum is collecting feedback from customers on the possibility of using a different film technology.

 

With digital film options  making inroads into a market once dominated by IMAX, theatre operator Destination Cinema feels gauging the sentiment of its customers towards a technology and re-branding will help guide the company’s decisions.

 

“We feel strongly about the IMAX brand and the IMAX experience, but we’d like our customers to let us know how they feel about IMAX and the potential for a change in film technology,” said IMAX Victoria theatre director Paul Wild.

Last week Destination Cinema began sending out questionnaires to annual pass holders and select groups to garner feedback on various options. The company also plans to pose similar questions before tourists, citing that some 40% of its 300,000-t0-400,000 annual customers are, in fact, visitors.

 

“The theatre opened in 1998 with tourists in mind, actually, but all of a sudden the tourism market was not as strong as it used to be and we had to focus more on locals. It was about nine years ago that the annual pass was introduced and this together with other initiatives brought more locals to the theatre,” Wild said, adding that the company is once again focusing its sights on attracting more tourists to its shows. [Full article]

 


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#7 sebberry

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 10:59 AM

Picture quality will take a considerable hit moving from 70mm film to their 2x 2k DLP projector setup, and this will only be made worse by our larger than average screen size. 


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#8 Nparker

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 11:59 AM

I hope they decide to stick with the IMAX format for the foreseeable future.



#9 sebberry

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 12:21 PM

Given that many IMAX theaters are switching to digital, Victoria will likely follow suit.  It's a significant cost savings and many casual viewers won't notice the difference.  It'll just be like going to see a movie at a theater. 

 

A film distributed on.. well.. film is upwards of $30,000, whereas a digital distribution is more like $150.


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#10 Nparker

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 12:36 PM

It'll just be like going to see a movie at a theater. 

 

 

I guess that's sort of my point. IMAX should be a different experience from a traditional movie theatre. As the article says, there currently are limited options for digital movies to show on large IMAX-size screens. If they switch to digital movies that only fill a portion of the screen what's special about going to this facility?



#11 Mike K.

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 12:40 PM

This is one of the reasons why Destination Cinema is reaching out to its customers to get a better sense of whether or not IMAX is a brand they should stick with or whether or not they should look elsewhere considering the advances in digital technologies. In several years IMAX will have a digital projector that can handle such a large screen, but so too will competitors and that's where the opportunity to look beyond IMAX comes in.


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#12 lanforod

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 01:30 PM

IMAX should be a different experience than a regular movie? The two have been moving closer together. So many theatres now have an IMAX screen, which just has better sound, bigger picture. Doesn't seem to be better quality picture at all than a newer Cineplex theatre, just bigger.

 

When I want a real, better experience, I think of the Omnimax in Telus World of Science. That's a real different screen. I've gotten that free falling feeling sometimes there, which is really cool. IMAX doesn't cut it anymore. UltraAVX etc. isn't so different from IMAX now.

 

The RBCM IMAX has been showing first run movies along with the documentaries for a while now.

 

The theatre options in the area are lousy compared to the lower mainland :(. I wish Cineplex would build a big 10+ screen theatre with UltraAVX and/or IMAX on the peninsula. Uptown seems like the perfect location.


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#13 sebberry

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 03:14 PM

IMAX should be a different experience than a regular movie? The two have been moving closer together. So many theatres now have an IMAX screen, which just has better sound, bigger picture. Doesn't seem to be better quality picture at all than a newer Cineplex theatre, just bigger.

 

Current "IMAX Digital" uses 2K DLP projection, on par with Cineplex UltraAVX found out in Langford.  Screen size isn't tied directly to projection technology. 

 

I believe IMAX is replacing their "15/70" 70mm film projection with 2x 2K DLP projection, basically two of their standard 2K digital projectors side-by-side.

 

4K is on the horizon but it is believe to offer only half the theoretical resolution of film (I say theoretical because there aren't lines of resolution on film).  Some put 4K in the ballpark of 35mm film, with 70mm film offering the detail that could be offered only by 8K projection.


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#14 Gary H

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 03:29 PM

Picture quality will take a considerable hit moving from 70mm film to their 2x 2k DLP projector setup, and this will only be made worse by our larger than average screen size. 

 

Not necessarily.  IMAX hasn't been sitting on their hands.  Their biggest R&D investment ever is about to be available at the end of this year  It's a dual 4K laser projection system that they've developed with Barco using laser projection IP acquired from Kodak.

 

You can read about all the technical goodies in this interview with IMAX's chief technical officer here: http://www.pocket-li...a-brian-bonnick

 

Also, according to Variety, IMAX did a big demo of the new system in November to approximately 250-300 industry and museum professionals.  I wonder if anyone from the BC Museum attended.  IMO (because I want to see this awesome system here) If they were smart they would jump on this new technology and be the "first in Canada" to deploy it - think of the marketing that would provide.  Apparently IMAX has sold 20 of the new systems as of the November article.  http://variety.com/2...ion-1200856572/


Edited by Gary H, 22 January 2014 - 03:33 PM.


#15 Bingo

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 04:13 PM

I think the topics for Imax movies have not been up to the par they were a few years ago. I quit buying a seasons pass because of that.

 

I will miss the host that comes in to tell me that " the screen is 60 metres tall and the projector is the size of a small dump-truck pulling 47 miles of film designed by Canadians, and if you feel sick you should leave by those doors...........


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#16 LocalMom

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 04:29 PM

The theatre options in the area are lousy compared to the lower mainland :(. I wish Cineplex would build a big 10+ screen theatre with UltraAVX and/or IMAX on the peninsula. Uptown seems like the perfect location.

Ohmy goodness - yes yes yes. You are a man after my own heart!



#17 sebberry

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 04:49 PM

Not necessarily.  IMAX hasn't been sitting on their hands.  Their biggest R&D investment ever is about to be available at the end of this year  It's a dual 4K laser projection system that they've developed with Barco using laser projection IP acquired from Kodak.

 

That would be the better way to go.  Still less overall effective resolution than film but a big step up from the 2x 2K.  Still don't get quite the same image height as you do with 70mm, however.

 

To be honest, I don't go to the theater much.  I just move the couch a little closer to the screen ;)


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#18 spanky123

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 05:00 PM

I think that this is really a discussion on economics. I rarely go to the IMAX theatre but the times that I have gone it has never been more than 25% full. There is an IMAX is every town now and you can watch the movies on cable/ sat so I don't see a huge attraction to tourists or locals. I think that this is nothing more than the RBM trying to find a way of downsizing costs in an acceptable manner.



#19 Bingo

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 05:07 PM

There is an IMAX is every town now and you can watch the movies on cable/ sat so I don't see a huge attraction to tourists or locals.

 

I think the original concept was to have an IMAX film made especially for the theatres that were offering a new show every hour. Now you have feature length movies in IMAX, and the tourists can see those somewhere other than the RBM.


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#20 Mike K.

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Posted 22 January 2014 - 05:21 PM

Just to clarify, the Royal BC Museum has no control over the theatre other than being the landlord. Destination Cinema is the operator/licensee of the IMAX brand.


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