Classic anime film Ghost in the Shell, which originally debuted in 1995, is returning to theatres for special screenings in IMAX. Announced today by Lionsgate Films, the film has special advance preview on September 16th, with public showings available starting September 17th.
Word has it that Robert Rodriguez’s latest manga segue, Alita: Battle Angel, may tank with a finish of about a third or a quarter of its budget after its release on February 14. It’s unfortunate too since the film actually started looking like something after completely blowing it with the first trailer back in 2017, and plus, judging by my friend Eoin’s review at The Action Elite it sounds like it should be a fun time for folks checking it out on the big screen.
John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as the rebellious Jake Pentecost, a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous “Kaiju.” Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction.
The next chapter in the Marvel saga is coming in IMAX and serial form for home viewing with Marvel’s Inhumans this September. With a second official poster in our wake, we now have our first official trailer teasing internal upheaval and ultimate conflict within a superhuman family.
“Marvel’s Inhumans” explores the never-before-told epic adventure of the royal family including Black Bolt, the enigmatic, commanding King of the Inhumans, with a voice so powerful that the slightest whisper can destroy a city. After the Royal Family of Inhumans is splintered by a military coup, they barely escape to Hawaii where they are greeted with surprising interactions with the lush world and humanity around them. Now they must find a way to reunite with each other and return to their home before their way of life is destroyed forever.
The first two episodes of Marvel’s Inhumans will premiere exclusively in IMAX cinemas around the world for two weeks starting Sept 1st. The IMAX episodes were shot entirely with the new ALEXA IMAX 65mm cameras. The full 8-episode series will then debut on The ABC Television Network in the US, and television networks and platforms globally later in the fall.
That Fall date as of Monday has been confirmed for two back-to-back episodes on September 29 between 8:00pm and 10:00pm EST.
Starring are Anson Mount, Ken Leung, Serinda Swan, Eme Ikwuakor, Isabelle Cornish, Iwan Rheon, Mike Moh, Sonya Balmores and Ellen Woglom.
IMAX is reportedly expanding its dealings in Europe this week according to a new announcement from IMAX Corporation out of Cannes. The company signed a hybrid joint revenue share agreement with major cinema staple, Les Cinémas Gaumont Pathé, for six new IMAX® theatres – five of which will be installed in France with IMAX’s next-generation laser technology, and one IMAX theater in Holland.
The deal, finalized on Wednesday during a meeting between the parties at the Cannes Film Festival, builds on last year’s 5-theatre deal between the two firms, this adding to 28 Les Cinémas Gaumont Pathé total IMAX commitment, with 17 theatres in France, seven in the Netherlands and four in Switzerland that are currently open or contracted to open.
“We’re extremely encouraged by the strong momentum and accelerated growth that IMAX continues to see in Western Europe – particularly in France, where our commercial network doubled in 2016,” said IMAX Corp. CEO Richard L. Gelfond. “Through establishing flagship IMAX locations that incorporate our laser technology, Les Cinémas Gaumont Pathé has developed a winning strategy that has resulted in higher per-screen averages and has driven incremental revenue to its complexes. We look forward to building on our partnership to expand our network across Europe and offer audiences a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience they can’t get anywhere else.”
“With today’s agreement, we are expanding our partnership with IMAX to bring the world’s most immersive cinematic experience to our top-performing locations,” said Martine Odillard, Chairman of Les Cinémas Gaumont Pathé. “In an unprecedented drive towards innovation, we will be deploying purpose-built IMAX theatres as new extensions at these flagship locations to deliver the most technologically advanced auditoriums in France and Europe.”
Scientists, soldiers and adventurers unite to explore a mythical, uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean. Cut off from everything they know, they venture into the domain of the mighty Kong, igniting the ultimate battle between man and nature. As their mission of discovery soon becomes one of survival, they must fight to escape from a primal world where humanity does not belong.
As far as remakes and reboots go, the 2014 adaptation of hit TV series, The Equalizer, seems to signal that director Antoine Fuqua knows how to gel with certain properties on par for big screen prospects. Thus, his latest comes by way of another remake classic, The Magnificent Seven, previously iterated by John Sturges with respect to late film auteur Kurosawa Akira.
Landing our main roster of heroes and villians in the old West, Fuqua reunites with actors Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke among an ensemble cast that sees the heroes take on an evil industrialist. The most recent trailer from July certainly lends an appealing view for Fuqua’s treatment while we may very well get a second trailer with the film currently due in just over three weeks. In the meantime, the marketing campaign continues as per the current rollout of character vignettes, and Fandango’s exclusive presentation of the new IMAX poster which you can view below ahead of the film’s TIFF premiere on September 8, and wide theatrical release on September 23.
Director Antoine Fuqua brings his modern vision to a classic story in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ and Columbia Pictures’ “The Magnificent Seven.” With the town of Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns – Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), Billy Rocks (Byung-Hun Lee), Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). As they prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.
SHANGHAI, June 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) today announced that the 3D epic film The Monk Comes Down the Mountain, from legendary filmmaker Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine), will be digitally re-mastered in the immersive IMAX® 3D format and released in IMAX® theatres in China on July 3. New Classics Media Corporation, China Film Group and Wuzhou Film Distribution Golden Network will be handling local distribution in China.
The Divergent Series: Insurgent is directed by Robert Schwentke (RED) from a screenplay by Mark Bomback, Akiva Goldsman and Brian Duffield and reunites stars Golden Globe® nominee Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Theo James and Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet (The Reader, Titanic), along with series newcomers Academy Award® nominee Naomi Watts and Academy Award® winner Octavia Spencer. The sequel continues the thrilling adventure set in a future world where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities. Having discovered she is Divergent, Tris Prior (Woodley) must search for allies and answers as a fugitive of the power-hungry Erudite elite. In a race against time, Tris and Four (James) now must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them.
It was supposed to be a “groundbreaking” maneuver for the film distribution industry in light of the latest updates for Yuen Woo-Ping‘s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend. Now, not quite so much.
Monday evening news broke throughout reporting the latest deal between film’s production company, The Weinstein Company, subscription video-on-demand provider Netflix and theatrical entertainment company IMAX that promised a day-and-date release for the upcoming sequel starring Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen. This week however, a handful of theater branches have pulled back from the deal refusing to comply with the release agenda, with at least a total of five major U.S., Canada and Europe-based theater chains backing away, including Regal, Cinemark, Carmike, AMC, Cineplex, Cineworld and Wanda.
In sum, the battle lines have officially been drawn. Whether or not the theater chains were informed about the deal or they were and simply refuse to be a part of it, one thing is clear aside from the film’s August 28, 2015 release date: Unless you live near an aquarium or a museum or are subscribed to Netflix, the chances of seeing this film just got a little bit more difficult.
Personally, I prefer to see movies in their big screen glory, as I love being part of the experience of a movie. Moreover, I say this also because I don’t have Netflix – just putting it out there. So while Netflix may see this as a lucrative deal they can benefit from, chances are that folks like me may have to go a little farther out of my way just to see a film, in which case, if you’re like me, you might be feeling a little alienated. And in all likelihood, no one is going to buy a ticket for a film they can see at home, which kind of makes the theatergoing experience seem moot.
In the end though, this is an investment, and for some reason or another, IMAX feels it can benefit from making Netflix an excluisve partner. As it stands though, that remians to be seen. As for me, well, as hectic as my day-to-day work schedule is, hopefully MoMA will grant me a enough commute time to make it to an 10:30pm showing. And I’m no night owl either. Bummer.
H/T: Variety, The Wrap
You must be logged in to post a comment.