There’s a storm coming. One of the biggest movies of the year opens this weekend. Will you rush out to see it right away, and if so, will you pay extra for the IMAX experience?
Last week’s Weekend Movies post brought me to a harsh realization. ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is coming shortly, and I don’t have IMAX tickets. And so, a dilemma arises: Should I watch ‘Dark Knight Rises’ in a standard theater or wait to see it in IMAX?
I went to the midnight IMAX premiere of ‘Batman Begins‘, but I had to wait a day for ‘The Dark Knight’. Normally, I only watch a movie in theaters once, but I went back for second viewings of both ‘Dark Knight’ and ‘Inception‘. Unlike some people I know, I loved the IMAX shots in ‘The Dark Knight’. After watching ‘Transformers 3‘ and ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol‘ in IMAX, I fear that ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ might be the last truly worthwhile IMAX feature film for a long time.
Then I saw that AMC theaters will show the ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’ in IMAX on Thursday night, and tickets are still available. On the other hand, I could just see the movie in a normal theater at first chance and then go watch it again in IMAX (assuming it isn’t awful) later on.
The Dark Knight Trilogy
AMC Theaters is showing all three Christopher Nolan Batman films in a special event that will culminate with the midnight premiere of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. Tickets are $40 for IMAX showings and $25 for digital theaters. ‘Batman Begins’ starts the trilogy at 6 PM followed by ‘The Dark Knight’ at 8:45 PM.
Of course, the ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’ is impractical for most people, especially when two of the movies are already available on Blu-ray for cheap. Unfortunately, my main motivation for seeing the midnight showing is to avoid spoilers. I’ll have to balance that desire against seeing the movie in my preferred theater.
I occasionally go to one of several dining experience theaters, but don’t even consider that an option for Gotham’s biggest trick-or-treater.
Fell free to elaborate in the Comments, as the poll may not cover every possibility.
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Nicholas Herum
I’m seeing it in normal digital tonight because my town’s press screening isn’t in IMAX and I can’t travel to a neighboring city today. I’m taking my wife and parents to it on Saturday in IMAX however. Hopefully its worth seeing twice; most final chapter stories have been garbage in my opinion (Spider-Man 3, Blade Trinity, X-Men 3, etc).
HuskerGuy
If there were a more convenient IMAX around here, I’d be going there, no doubt. That said, I’m fine slumming it at the standard theater.
Drew
I’ve already bought tickets to 4 true 70mm IMAX screenings. I’m going Thursday at midnight, and then twice again on Friday — starting with a morning screening — plus once more on Saturday. I’m taking work off on Friday, and I spent about $55 on the 4 tickets. It’s my most anticipated film of the year.
Josh Zyber
I hope it lives up!
Shayne Blakeley
That is some serious faith
Drew
Nicholas,
The difference is Nolan. Just look at his track record. Recognize the fact that he actually makes other films between each of his Dark Knight ones.
Both ‘Blade: Trinity’ and ‘X-Men 3’ were made by different — and altogether terrible — directors. ‘Spider-Man 3’ was never intended to be the final chapter. And Raimi didn’t work on anything else, in the time that he made 3 ‘Spider-Man’ films, to keep himself fresh or sharp.
Furthermore, the studio crapped the bed with ‘Spider-Man 3’. I’m not sure any director could have overcame all of the nonsense that the studio insisted on putting in that film.
Drew
Josh, I’m in a lot of trouble if it doesn’t. I’m hoping I can scalp the tickets for at least a little bit more than I bought them for.
EM
I chose “I’m not interested in seeing ‘Dark Knight Rises’ at all”, though the “at all” is a little too emphatic. It would be more accurate to say that I am apathetic: I am neither interested in going nor interested in not going. Inertia will likely keep me away. But I was entertained by Nolan’s earlier Batman efforts (as well as by some of his other films), and so I would go if a friend really wanted to go see it with me. Likewise, I might watch it as a telecast (en inglés) or on home video, but I don’t actually plan to.
Thulsadoom
I think the word ‘apathetic’ perfectly sums up my feelings on it as well. Though I’ll admit, I’m curious to see Hathaway in action. 😉
merlich
I enjoyed “Batman Begins”, but I found “The Dark Knight” to be headache-inducing and practically unwatchable. I will not see “The Dark Knight Rises” in any venue or format.
Trond Michelsen
It doesn’t open until next Wednesday here. I’ll skip the midnight premiere, and wait for the 9.30PM screening.
Norwegian cinemas were planning a trilogy event as well, but their rights to show Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were revoked after they’d started selling tickets.
Brian Hoss
‘It’s not opening this week in my market’ probably should have been a choice. I do wish that they would stick with worldwide premieres for movies this big.
I have friends in Denmark that are obsessed with Joss Whedon. The instant that the Avengers came out, I had emails about it. Of course, I had to wait a week until it premiered here in the States to write back.
Julian
This is just nonsense: I have to wait until 25 July to see “The Dark Knight Rises”. Every other ‘big’ (as in: expected to make a lot of money) motion picture this year (The Avengers, Ice Age 4, Madagascar 3 …) has been released days, if not weeks, ahead of the United States. However, I was not anxious to see said movies (in fact, I only saw “The Avengers”).
I have been wanting to see “The Dark Knight Rises” ever since it was announced … and now I have to wait 5 more days. Nuts to that!
Adam
I already have tickets to see it at 4:30 on Friday at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in DC
JM
Unless Bane wins and Batman dies, I have no interest.
The Joker should have won the last one, but Nolan is spineless.
Maybe I’ll rent it for Anne Hathaway’s bits, if she gives good naughtiness.
Drew
Jane, let’s not forget that the reason why the Joker didn’t win, is because the character was supposed to also be in the third installment and ultimately win at that point. A certain someone died, and this was no longer possible.
Nolan is not spineless. Look at what he did in ‘Inception’. That’s all the proof of a spine one should ever need.
JM
If Nolan had a spine, both boats would have blown up.
TDK is Fight Club without the explosions.
JM
I like that the villains are liberals and Batman is a republican.
But every review says TDKR is a waste of Tom Hardy.
Maybe I’ll just watch ‘Bronson.’
Andi Wettleson
yeah none of these options work for me. I don’t “plan” on seeing the Dark Knight Rises in IMAX, I know I will. I’ve had my ticket since June 10th (also the day my IMAX theatre sold out) so theres no way I’m not seeing it in IMAX and I’m guessing that goes for alot of people. If they’re looking to see it in IMAX, they’ve already got their ticket. after that I’ll probably see it anywhere from 5 to 10 times I’m guessing (I only saw BB and Inception 3 or 4 times but the Dark Knight was a record 9 times for me in theatres).
Josh Zyber
Andi, you “plan” to use that ticket you’ve purchased, right? I’d say that voting option still applies until you actually use the ticket. After all, there is some remote possibility that your theater could burn down or get swallowed by an earthquake or something in between now and Friday. 🙂
Dan P.
I seen Mission Impossible at IMAX and it was great. The sound was way, way too loud though. It actually was painful. Not sure if I want to do that again.
Barsoom Bob
I went on Monday to the Lincoln Square IMAX to buy I-tickets for a Saturday show. All sold out from the Thursday night preview through to mid day Monday. I ended up with two tickets for 2:20pm on Monday. I included the pm because they are showing it around the clock over the weekend with showings at 2:30am and 6:30am.
Definitely see the difference in sequences shot with the IMAX cameras, so it was IMAX or wait for me in the poll.
I stumbled into the set up for the NY premier of the movie that was happening that Monday evening. I live across the street so I went back with my wife at 5:30 and it was a zoo. Caught glimpses of Morgan Freeman, Marion Collaird and Gary Oldman. The crowd got so large by the time Bale and Nolan were arriving that cops were actually just pushing groups of people out into the middle of traffic on Broadway.
At the Dark Knight premier, they actually drove the tumbler up to the front of the theater. This time no such luck, no tumbler or bat planes.
Reading between the lines of the reviews, it seems this is going to be almost as polarizing as Prometheus. It is the antithesis of The Avengers. A heavy, somber look at our society and the prices that must be paid to change things. Very little actual Batman in suit. How are the “I want my answers” and “super hero saves the day” fans going to react to this?
Shayne Blakeley
I don’t want to deal with the massive throng, so I’m going to see it early on Wednesday in a normal theater (and plug my ears and yell LA LA LA LA! until then.)
motorheadache
I wasn’t able to get IMAX tickets, so I’m seeing it in standard form first– I did the same with the Dark Knight. I’m pretty sure I’ll go see it at least one more time afterward, probably a couple of weeks later, so I’ll make that one IMAX.
Luckily, I’m seeing it at Seattle’s Cinerama, which is a really nice, big theater. So it ain’t IMAX, but it’ll be a great experience.
William Henley
I am off Thursday-Saturday, so I may see if I can find a matinee of it Friday at a film-Imax theater (there are three in my area showing Dark Knight Rises). However, Friday night I have a concert that I am working at, and Saturday is my roommate’s kid’s birthday party, so its very possible that I may have to wait until next weekend.
Jeffrey
Seeing the midnight show in Imax Dome at Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. Tickets already bought and picked up.
michael
seeing it in imax, thursday midnight on an 8 story domed imax (the largest west of the mississippi)it is gonna freaking rock.
michael
Fort Worth Museum of science and history
William Henley
Let me know how it is – that is where I am thinking of seeing it.
William Henley
BTW, the Fort Worth Musuem of Science and History has an entire webpage setup for just this movie on the dome:
http://www.fwmuseum.org/dark-knight-rises-5
There is a writeup on this page as to why you want to see Batman in an Imax 15/70 theater.
The reason I am hesitant about going to the Omni to see this is that, while the dome is AWESOME for nature stuff and space films, I have been less than thrilled with seeing anything that has humans in it. Bodies are distorted on the dome, as are straight lines, such as buildings and such.
I used to go see Imax films at the Cinemark off of 635 and Webb Chapel, but construction is making me hesitant to go do that as well.
I hear there is a conventional Imax theater in Collyville as well that is showing this. I am not sure where in Collyville the theater is, but I am thinking this theater is going to be the best bet for me.
William Henley
I waited too late to try to get tickets – I had a lot going on this weekend, and wasn’t exactly sure what my schedule was. Woke up today to try to get matinee tickets to one of the IMAXs in the area. Yeah, that’s not going to happen. If the Harry Potter movies at the IMAX are any indication, this movie is probably sold out at the film IMAXs for the next two weeks.
Andy G
I picked standard theater, but only because we don’t have IMAX in our town, and IMAX would be far too expensive anyway even if we did. I would love to see it in IMAX though if the option were more realistic.
Ben
Got my tickets for midnight at the IMAX. Pretty excited.
Ted S.
I just saw an advanced screening earlier tonight, it was at the true IMAX theater here in MN. The film was spectacular and if you have a real IMAX theater in your area, I highly recommend you go see it there.
Thulsadoom
If there was an option saying “I’ll wait till it comes on tv” I’d have picked that. (Or is the ‘Spanish’ option a humorous version of that?)
I find Nolan a mixed bag, and I thought TDK was very weak in comparison to Batman Begins. So I’m not going to shell out any hard-earned cash on it. 😉 Curiosity may get me though, so it may end up in my rental list rather than wait for tv.
Shannon Nutt
I’m seeing it in IMAX on Saturday morning, but I’ve lowered (or at least toned down) my expectations, as both the positive and negative reviewers are saying this movie is more BATMAN BEGINS (which I wasn’t a huge fan of) than THE DARK KNIGHT (which I loved).
Everyone look for me during the football scene…I’d hate to think I spend all day in 90 degree weather in winter clothes only to get cut. 🙂
Damon
I saw it last night, Wednesday in IMAX. I got to see a free screening. It was amazing in IMAX. I am really glad I got to see it that way. It has 72 minutes of the movie filmed in IMAX. Definitely the best way to see it. The sound and picture were amazing!