My First IMAX Experience

You read that right.

I’ve never had the pleasure of going to a movie at an IMAX theater. Not even at Navy Pier which is literally 15 minutes from me. Can you hear the tiny violins playing for me?

Ahem.

Anyhow, Mr Houseful and I decided to take a late night date last week (seriously, it was last minute and our sitter had to be at the house by 9:30 pm – we were living on the EDGE!) and since we had not seen the current installment of The Dark Knight series, we decided to go ahead and catch The Dark Knight Rises.

Yes.

Three months later. I dare you to judge me! 🙂 And I’m sure that most who are dropping their bottom lips are without child, conferences and whatever else is going to make you believe why we haven’t seen it sooner.

IMAX made it pretty easy to find a place that was showing movies on an actual IMAX screen. We all know that the biggest screen in Chicago are at The Navy Pier and The Museum of Science and Industry, but did you know that there are several operating movie theaters with IMAX screens?

Illinois

• Batavia – Goodrich Theaters Randall 15^[132]
• Chicago – Navy Pier IMAX (15/70 mm, 3D)^[133]
• Chicago – OMNIMAX, Museum of Science and Industry (15/70 mm, 3D)^[134]
• Country Club Hills – AMC Loews Country Club Hills 16
• Edwardsville – AMC Showplace Edwardsville 12
• Hodgkins – AMC Loews Quarry 14
• Lincolnshire – Regal Lincolnshire 21 (Dual Projection)
• Lombard – AMC Yorktown 17
• Naperville – AMC Showplace Naperville 16
• New Lenox – AMC Showplace New Lenox 14
• Peoria – Rave Grand Prairie 18
• Rockford – AMC Showplace 16
• Schaumburg – AMC Loews Streets of Woodfield 20
• Skokie – AMC Showplace Village Crossing 18
• South Barrington – AMC South Barrington 30
• Woodridge – Cinemark, Seven Bridges (Dual Projection)

A Little More Info About IMAX Corporation
IMAX is believing. It’s an entertainment experience so real you feel it in your bones, so magical it takes you places you have never been; so all-encompassing you’re not just peeking through the window, but part of the action. Behind it is a world of high technology – proprietary software, architecture and equipment pioneered by IMAX. IMAX is unique – not an entertainment or technology or distribution company but all three at once: an innovator with patented technology; a Hollywood insider that partners with the world’s most celebrated moviemakers to enhance their biggest blockbusters and documentaries; and a global enterprise with more than 660 theatres in 52 countries. There’s only one IMAX, and once experienced there’s no going back.
The Company’s new digital projection and sound systems – combined with a growing blockbuster film slate – are fueling the rapid expansion of the IMAX network. IMAX delivers the world’s best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, and IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-Mastering) technologies. IMAX DMR enables virtually any motion picture to be transformed into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience®.
IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience® and IMAX Is Believing™ are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

Since we had to look up where the movie we wanted to see was still playing, we found that we had four choices. We ended up going to South Barrington, and when we entered our ticket agent took our tickets, smiled knowingly and said…”Lemme guess, you’re here to see Dark Knight Rises?” I’m still trying to figure out if he was giving us pity or excitement since we ended up being the only two in the theater! SCORE! Well, it was a big score until I realized that we were the only two in the theater, literally. All the other movies ended around the time ours started to play. Super creepy, but I had Mr. Houseful there, and he would NEVER trip me up to run from the random ghosts and goblins that I had conjured in my mind.

Overall, the experience was great. The picture was crisp, and the sound was fantastic. Batman didn’t sound like a garbled Darth Vader. I imagine that if the theater was full and even with minimal buzz, I still would have been able to understand every piece of dialogue. I REALLY liked the fact that I could REALLY see what was going on. Being as far back and up as we were in the theater didn’t compromise the movie at all.

Let me tell you that I am usually the person that will fall asleep in comfortable theater chairs. I have no shame. I peered at the chairs as I was walking up to our seats (we sat smack dab in the middle by the way) with a little bit of distrust. Would I be able to stay awake? I mean the movie wasn’t going to start until 10:15 and it was WAY past my recommended bed time. Well, I lasted. With NO popcorn or a drink. Take that movie chair makers!

IMAX movies can run you up to $21 per ticket, so I would make sure that you are going to see a movie that you KNOW you are going to love AND at a time where you know people won’t get on your nerves. Ours just happens to be the last showing of the evening. I can totally see us doing this once a month. I would like to see Argo, but Cloud Atlas is looking pretty enticing as well.

Do you go to IMAX theaters often? If so, how come you didn’t tell me how great they were?! Our next plan of action is to hit up Navy Pier’s theater and see how great that one is. I hear it’s three stories high and wraps around. I’m hoping it doesn’t disappoint.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with compensation for this post.  However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.