Choosing the right theater to see Star Wars

The Force Awakens premier is only months away now... where are you going to see it? There might be more options available than you might realize. So here's a guide to ensure you can find the best possible venue for seeing Star Wars.

Just this year there's been some drastic changes in the theater industry, all of which apply to Star Wars for several reasons. I will get into the details below... but basically if you want the most bang for your buck, I would look into the following list (In order of preference & quality as far as image fidelity is concerned... which is determined by how bright the projection is):

1. IMAX laser theater (very rare... only 8 locations world wide so far)
2. AMC PRIME/ Dolby cinema (somewhat less rare but still hard to find)
3. IMAX 70mm projection (also rare)
4. Christie/Barco 6p laser illumination
5. Standard IMAX (often referred to as "Lie-max")
6. Dolby Atmos theater (AMC RPX, Marcus DLX, ICON, etc... very good chance of being in your area)
7. Alamo Drafthouse (national chain) or other "brew n' views", be mindful of 70mm projection which could be superior to #'s 5 & 6
8. Ultra screen theaters/ theaters with reclining seats (which isn't indicative of visual quality unfortunately)
9. Any other theater

(note that this list could change depending on a few factors... like if you are more interested in 3D image or if you want to prioritize 3D sound above better picture... if you have questions just ask me)

Why is IMAX laser & Dolby Prime @ the top of this list? Because of something new called high dynamic range.

High Dynamic Range (HDR for short):

HDR is laser projection that allows for brighter whites, deeper blacks & everything in between... along with more color! Because of this... the image is vastly superior, more three dimensional is how most people put it. While no announcement has been made about Star Wars & HDR... it stands to reason that it will be in HDR because Disney so far has released all their films in HDR since spring (starting with "tomorrowland").

There are several ways to view HDR, however options are limited depending on where you live. Many major cities have HDR theaters or will by the time episode VII comes out. I've provided links that show where to find the nearest HDR theater here:

AMC PRIME theaters have HDR projectors... when purchasing tickets be sure to check it's an HDR showing:

https://www.amctheatres.com/amc-prime

European forum members... Dolby Cinema also have locations across Europe just like AMC Prime. I found there are 3 European theater chains that might have a Dolby Cinema installed in their premium locations. The links to those chains can be found towards the bottom of this link:

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/platforms/dolby-cinema.html

IMAX laser... there are only 8 locations that currently have this unfortunately.

https://www.imax.com/about/laser/

IMAX 70mm:

In select IMAX's (8 story tall theaters) you can see the 70mm projection of Star Wars.
This supposedly tells you where IMAX 70mm theaters are located, but it's not accurate. When tickets go on sale, the theater's website will most likely advertise it as "70mm projection".

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zLxBmgs3Es0I.kOIvw74Mhrcc

Dolby Atmos:

Dolby Atmos is a 3D sound system that places sound not only from the sides as standard theaters do... but above you as well, & allows for the placement of sounds in a completely 3 dimensional space. I have no doubt Star Wars will be showing with Dolby Atmos. Dolby Prime theaters actually have Dolby Atmos systems included, but it doesn't have to be a Dolby Prime theater to hear an Atmos system.

You can find Dolby Atmos theaters here (tip... select "Dolby Atmos" & search by state, not by zip code):

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/find-a-movie-theatre.html

If you want to hear what Atmos is all about... Dolby has a list of upcoming films to be shown in Dolby Atmos, but it has to be an Atmos theater or you will just be getting the 7.1/5.1 surround sound:

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/experience/dolby-atmos/movies.html

However, unless if you plan on seeing Star Wars @ a Dolby Prime theater... I'd go with the IMAX because the projection in IMAX is better than most AMC or Marcus Atmos theaters. ICON theaters are a different story though, and there are no doubt other options I'm not aware of... so it is possible IMAX might not always be the best option. I've heard others complain about the IMAX's in their area... so if you haven't I'd recommend watching an IMAX film or AMC Prime feature to test out before VII's release. MI 5 rogue nation & Everest will be in IMAX... both films in HDR if there is an HDR theater in your area.

Some other things to consider:

A word of caution... if you wear prescription glasses & watch an HDR film in 3D, you might experience strange artifacts from the laser projection. Those artifacts do not occur with standard IMAX 3D or other 3D systems... only with laser illuminated 3D. If it's in 2D you will be fine.

Lastly, I don't know about you... but I'm guessing we are all like minded in that the best place to see Star Wars is with a large group of like minded fanatics. It's quite a thrill when a huge group is cheering together on premier night. If you care more about that than visual fidelity, I might actually recommend not seeing it @ a premium theater mostly because there are less seats, which = less people to cheer! But there's nothing wrong with going back to a premium theater a different night to get the best experience possible

 

I'm in the U.S., but I do know a theater enthusiast who lives in the U.K. & I believe was invited for a demonstration @ a reference quality Atmos theater in London. He was very impressed by the demonstration, so I can ask him if you'd like

He might know about Ireland as well or at least might know who to ask if you are curious. I myself have only been to one cinema in Europe but that was waaaay back in 2003!

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 3, 2015, Original Post Date: Aug 3, 2015 ---

Thanks!

You live near Washington DC?

There is an IMAX laser in Chantilly, VA If I lived that close I'd make the trek!

There is an AMC Prime opening about an hour away from here (Chicago)... I plan to see Star Wars at least once there

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 3, 2015 ---

Sorry I meant to tag your quote in the post I made about my friend in London. Man if I was in London I'd love to check out the theater he was talking about!

The next celebration will be held in the UK right? I'll be jealous

 

Speaking of which... I wanted to ask everyone a question regarding buying tickets. I haven't been to a midnight premier in a long time (the Prequels were probably the last time I went to one).

So my question is... is it better to buy online or go directly to the theater in order to ensure that you can get into the theater for premier night?

When TPM came out I walked to the theater a week before when ticket sales were announced... about 30 other nerds showed up so it wasn't an issue to buy tickets... but with online purchasing it might be a different story. Fandango has a notification system that lets you know when tickets go on sale I think... but I worry about me not being at the computer @ the right time (lol).

Also how far in advance do you guys get in line for something like an IMAX premier?

I'm thinking about seeing Star Wars @ IMAX on premier night in Chicago... I think when TPM came out I probably got to the theater 2 hours beforehand maybe. The other films it seemed like getting there an hour early sufficed.

Funny story though... when ROTS came out I went with a friend who I worked with. We both left from work together to get to the theater early... we smoked a little *something* on the way. After that *something* took effect my friend was like "ohhhhhh s***! I forgot my ticket!!!" so we had to drive back. By the time we got to the theater seating had already started & we got stuck sitting in the front row... man that sucked!

 

In Chicago here we do have the Navy Pier IMAX where they brought in the 70mm projector. It's only available for special occasions like that. I believe Interstellar was shot entirely on 70mm, whereas star wars was shot on both 35mm & IMAX cameras for the big battle sequence. So I'm not sure if it would be possible. I did see Interstellar with the 70mm projector... and I will say it was gorgeous!

HDR laser is superior though. Keep in mind even though it's a digital projection, it's projected @ 4k resolution, & laser allows for a much brighter image with better contrast levels. Compared to 70mm projection, the black levels would be far deeper on Laser.
If we were just to compare the standard digital projector to film projectors, there would be pros/cons for either format, but with HDR it's a game changer.

Movies shot on film actually see more of a benefit from laser projection because the black levels on film are out of this world... very saturated.
There are also certain theater chains that use higher end digital projectors, like here in Chicago we also have the ICON theater which is 4k in the premium auditorium (I believe). Where are you located?

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 3, 2015, Original Post Date: Aug 3, 2015 ---

If Disney does allow for film reels to be sent to theaters I'll for sure see TFA in that format... I mean what the heck I'll probably see it 5 or 6 times anyway!

 

I stand corrected! Wow!

The only thing is... finding an 8 story tall IMAX is easier said than done... thankfully there is one here in Chicago

 

"“The Force Awakens” ticket presale around late September to mid October. I have had two theater managers relay that information to me. The release information is coming in hot! The “Force” is approaching quickly."

HOLY COW! Viral needs to post this on SW7 news!

 

It seemed like at least a lot of the film was... but it's hard for me to say... the whole thing just looked so good. I never notice when the format switches between 70/35.

I would have no doubt that if JJ was given the option, his intended presentation would be large format IMAX projection with HDR. Perhaps there might be a way to modify the film projectors to accommodate laser.

Keep in mind HDR is cutting edge for theaters... literally it was only implemented several months ago. Unfortunately it's extremely expensive & considering all the theater chains spent considerable amounts of money installing digital projectors, they might not want to upgrade for a while. If there is an HDR theater in your area... I'd at least say just check it out. It's not a subtle difference from current standards, it's a huge leap in visual fidelity

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 3, 2015, Original Post Date: Aug 3, 2015 ---

You live in Portugal?

Usually theaters give the option of 2D or 3D... the IMAX's out here do anyway.

 

Interesting the article also included this link to find real IMAX 70mm... though I wouldn't trust this actually. I went to a few IMAX's to see Interstellar... only Chicago's Navy Pier has the 70mm projector. The other one listed on this sight does not... definitely try before you buy!

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zLxBmgs3Es0I.kOIvw74Mhrcc

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 3, 2015, Original Post Date: Aug 3, 2015 ---

Oh wow keep us up to date on that if you can! I definitely don't want to miss out

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 3, 2015 ---

Thanks again for such a great find. I updated the article to reflect the recent change in developments Wow... so awesome!