Coming to an IMAX theater near you and everyone else, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar will have a record debut in the large-screen format. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the space adventure is set for 770 IMAX engagements worldwide. Greg Foster, CEO of IMAX Entertainment and executive vice president of IMAX Corp., says, “It’s the largest release in the history of our company.” The film is scheduled for a wide release on November 7, but, as previously reported, it will screen two days early in 35mm, 70mm, and IMAX 70mm, so that film purists can spoil the ending for everyone else.
Foster also conveyed his support for a plan to release Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend, which will premiere simultaneously in IMAX theaters and on Netflix next year, circumventing traditional movie theaters. IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond notes that he had to assuage some exhibitors’ concerns about the strategy. (“Think of it as a dispute in the family,” Gelfond says.) Between this and digital-only theater owners’ ire about Interstellar premiering early on film, IMAX might not be the most well-liked format in the distribution game right now, but at least it’s still the most expensive for moviegoers.
