A24's IMAX Re-Releases Prove IMAX Is The Future Of Filmgoing
Unless you've been living under a rock recently (in which case, how's the weather down there?), you're aware that movie theaters have been in a tough spot for nearly half a decade now, if not longer. Various factors have contributed to this, of course — everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to the economy itself contributing to higher prices for a night out at the movies (especially for a family). Yet perhaps the biggest point of contention for those not fully inducted into the church of moviegoing is that old chestnut coined by Jean-Paul Sartre: Hell is other people.
Due to being at the tail end of several decades' worth of manufacturers and big box stores pushing home theater technology, the average living room theater setup tends to rival most generic movie theater screens in terms of picture and sound quality, with the convenience of the setup already being in one's home, away from loud talking randos and teens on their bright smartphones, being a major plus. In the past 20 years or so, Hollywood has attempted a number of ways to combat movie theater fatigue, trying everything from reviving 3D to utilizing high-profile IP (such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe) to make theatergoing a must rather than a maybe.
Yet recent trends show that the film industry has kinda already found the best solution to the future of filmgoing: IMAX. Although the company has been around since 1970, it's really within the early years of the 21st century that IMAX's signature 59 by 79 foot, 1.43:1 screen began to be widely used for commercial film exhibition, as opposed to just novelty documentaries and the like. While the largesse of the IMAX brand means that, typically, the types of films shown in the format tend to be big budget blockbusters, that's beginning to change. The most recent and best example of this is A24's IMAX screening series, taking the entertainment company's indie-flavored, more intimate classics and showing them in a whole new and exciting way.
Hereditary and other A24 releases become a new experience in IMAX
Theatrical re-releases are not a new phenomenon; after all, in the days before streaming and physical media, they used to be a common occurrence, as they were frequently the best way for the public to rewatch the classics. While other studios like Warner Bros. have occasionally taken advantage of the idea, especially in IMAX, this year marks the first partnership between A24 and IMAX for a series of re-releases, one every month for the next year, with each film optimized for projection in the format. This doesn't mean that the films will be filling every bit of the 1.43:1 screens — they'll retain their proper aspect ratio relative to the larger format — but it does mean that each film will feature improved picture clarity and sound.
I've been lucky enough to attend several of A24's IMAX offerings, past and present, and each one has been a memorable experience. When I saw their re-release of Darren Aronofsky's debut feature, "Pi," it was a minor revelation to see such a famously gritty and grainy '90s indie looking so impressive and large without losing its identity. Jonathan Demme's immortal Talking Heads concert film, "Stop Making Sense," blew the roof off of the theater as people jumped up, danced, and generally treated the experience like a real live concert without disrupting the film for those who didn't want to get out of their seats.
But watching an Ari Aster film in IMAX is one of the most beautifully unsettling experiences you could hope to have. If you're not on Aster's provocative wavelength, you may be one of the several who saw "Beau Is Afraid" on its brief IMAX run last year and came away fuming. For me, that screening was a sick joy, as was watching his debut feature, "Hereditary," at the Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk Hollywood last night. "Hereditary" is a film where the devil is quite literally in the details, and not only was the bigger IMAX screen the best way to pick up on new details hidden in the film, but the audience I was with were all there to allow Aster's work to get under their skin without any distractions. You could hear a pin drop in the theater; the better to let things like screams or an ominous "click" sound pounce upon you.
Learn from the past and don't skimp on screens
Even though my Wednesday night screening of "Hereditary" in IMAX wasn't technically sold out, it was almost full, an excellent attendance record for a 10:30pm showing of a movie easily accessible through online services and physical media. While this fits nicely into the growing trend of theatrical re-releases doing numbers — the recent re-release of 2004's "Spider-Man 2" hit #2 at the box office this past weekend — it also demonstrates just how many people are willing to get themselves to an IMAX theater just to have the experience.
Given the history of motion picture exhibition, this isn't too surprising. Cinerama, a format that is effectively IMAX's progenitor, became a sensation when it debuted in 1952. Sadly, that format proved prohibitive on almost every level, from the three-camera system used to shoot in Cinerama to the multiple projectors and large screens and auditoriums needed to exhibit it. As such, more cost-effective large format concepts such as VistaVision and CinemaScope came along, while films like "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Grand Prix" were touted as Cinerama releases despite neither one being properly filmed for or shown in the format.
We're seeing the exact same phenomenon happening to IMAX now, as more films advertise being shown in IMAX despite many of them not giving audiences the same experience; there's a difference between a movie advertising "Experience it in IMAX" versus "Filmed for IMAX," which movies like "Oppenheimer" and "Dune: Part Two" were. In addition, the majority of IMAX screens across America are ones which, while being large format, aren't the proper IMAX dimensions — "LieMax," they've come to be derisively called.
With the success of "Oppenheimer," "Dune," and now these A24 re-releases, it's more than apparent that IMAX is the most consistently attractive option when it comes to going to the movie theater right now. Hollywood and Wall Street would be foolish not to take advantage of this, and they should follow A24's lead and give audiences the premium experience they clearly crave. To paraphrase Howard Ratner, the hero of A24's next IMAX re-release, "Uncut Gems": This is how we win.
A24 and IMAX's screening series continues on Wednesday, May 22 with "Uncut Gems."
I spoke more about this on today's episode of the /Film Daily podcast, which you can listen to below:
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