Size May Disappoint IMAX Moviegoers

If you believe bigger is better, you should be careful the next time you go to an IMAX theater.  

For local residents, seeing IMAX movies might be considered a treat as none of the many Eastern Connecticut theaters have this amenity, which has its own surcharge. 

Those looking for the largest screens, closest to home, will have to go to Milford, Manchester, or Providence.

During the 2010 installation of IMAX at Milford’s Connecticut Post Mall Rave Cinema, theater management officials said that the auditorium would be receiving a 30-by-60-foot curved screen. 

Keep in mind that the average theater screen is 22-by-52 feet, slightly taller than a two-story building.

It was a retrofit from an existing theater which resulted in a slightly larger screen, an IMAX digital projector, and the ability to show 3-D films. 

Evening shows for adults in IMAX 3-D are $16.50. This includes a $5.50 surcharge when compared to adult evening movies in its sister auditoriums.

At the Rave Buckland Hills Theater, the IMAX Theater was also a retrofit. The screen is about 75 percent larger than the 17-by-40-foot screens in the other auditoriums.

IMAX 3-D evening movies for adults are $16.50, which includes a $6 surcharge.

Theaters should label their IMAX screens and use disclaimers informing customers of the screen size.

IMAX’s plans for expansion include installing slightly larger screens at existing major theater chains and removing several rows of seats to allow the screen to be 30 feet closer to the audience to create a “sitting too close to the TV effect”. 

Providence Place IMAX Cinema has a larger screen with cheaper prices compared to Manchester and Milford.

A new six-story-tall IMAX screen was installed in 2012 to replace the former IMAX that opened with the mall in 1999. 

The six-story-tall screen is approximately 60-feet-tall and is closer to the standard IMAX screen of 72-by-52.8 feet.

Adult evening tickets are $15.75 in IMAX-3D, which has a $5 surcharge. 

If you want to see movies even bigger, take a drive and visit the IMAX 3-D Theaters at Jordan’s Furniture Stores in Natick and Reading, Mass. where screens are eight-stories tall.

Tickets are $14 for adults for all showings.

I went to the Providence Place IMAX last year to see the movie “The Dark Knight”. It was certainly worth the money. I never have attended the other IMAX’s.

I encourage Eastern Connecticut’s theaters to invest in building an IMAX theater, perhaps RC Theaters, the new owners of the , could look into this. 

Building a six-story or larger screen would change the movie experience for Eastern Connecticut residents and visitors.