Large-format cinema exhibitor IMAX plans to phase out its 70mm film output in favor of a digital projection system, according to The Hollywood Reporter. to a digital system of projection. The first widely distributed digital presentation will be DreamWorks Animation’s CG sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, which hits theaters on Nov. 7 and will debut on 35 IMAX screens equipped for digital projection.
IMAX and DreamWorks Animation most recently teamed to launch the animated comedy Kung Fu Panda on 89 domestic and six international IMAX screens, raking in $2.3 million with a per-screen average of approximately $24,000. The two companies entered into a five-picture deal that will also give the huge-screen treatment to the upcoming toons Monsters vs. Aliens (March 27, 2009), How to Train Your Dragon (November 2009) and Shrek Goes Fourth (May 2010).
In July, IMAX and exhibitor AMC Entertainment will open the first three digital IMAX theaters in Washington and Baltimore. Philadelphia will then get three venues in August as IMAX works toward a goal of 50 theaters by the end of the year. The company will be gradually converting the 296 IMAX-equipped theaters across 40 countries. A driving factor behind the decision is the cost involved in striking 70mm prints. Studios will be able to release their films in digital IMAX theaters for a fraction of the price.
