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So...actor-comedian Aziz Ansari, who some believe to be the real star of Parks and Recreation, went to see Star Trek last weekend on IMAX. But what he got wasn’t the super-sized screen many of us expect from the brand but one of the much smaller digital screens the company has used to expand its reach in recent years and become a force in theatrical distribution.
He wasn’t pleased. He demanded a refund for the IMAX-ticket surcharge, which varies by theater, and proceeded to blog angrily on Tumblr.
“Boycott them,” he wrote. “Fuck them for taking advantage of people and
charging them $5 extra.”
Several outlets picked the story up, and 1,400 comments followed. Not
long after, so did a statement from Richard Gelfond, IMAX CEO, who
didn’t even bother to disagree with the charges. “The overwhelming majority of comments on that
guy’s blog this morning, more than 90% of them, are vehemently
disagreeing with him,” he said. “And consumers are confirming this with
their continued purchases of tickets.”
Ansari, incredulous, challenged him
to a televised debate.
In truth, Ansari, who also had a memorable part in Observe and Report
this year, tapped into a debate regular filmgoers have had for years. The
large majority of movies aren’t shot to fix IMAX screens (select
parts of The Dark Knight are the notable exception), so the
company has been able to justify the smaller screens with promises of
superior sound and picture. And so far, whatever the validity
of Ansari’s rant, they’ve largely gotten away with it.
Related links:
List of the Day: Seven Questions About the Parks and Recreation Premiere
Review: Observe and Report
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The local IMAX screens are far bigger than the standard screen, but smaller than a full-blown IMAX.
IMAX sound, local or otherwise, is FAR better than standard.
Is it worth an extra $5? For Star Trek, I think it was.
Hey Aziz, welcome to the real world. There are very few things that live up to their marketing hype these days. This is how we got the phrase "buyer beware".
I can understand his disappointment at entering a baby IMAX if he has been in an original IMAX theater, but I'm not going to blame IMAX. It's Regal and AMC that put IMAX projectors in a regular sized theaters and try to steal your money.
What is IMAX supposed to do? Not sell them the projectors? If they only sell projectors to theaters that will build properly sized theaters then their business suffers and they never become a household brand. It is only in the last 2 years that IMAX has entered the public consciousness.
I've been going to IMAX movies for over 10 years and believe they are worth the higher price. I also know there are 3 IMAX theaters in my area and I go to the biggest theater because I know that there is a difference.
If this is the only $5 that Aziz is getting taken for in his life, then he is doing a whole lot better than the rest of us. Many people spend more than $5 in gas just to get to an IMAX theater.
I wish the media would at least pretend to seriously examine the various sides of an issue these days rather than just feed the hype.
Check again John unless you are working for IMAX but the fake IMAX screen is not FAR larger. Unless you think an avg of 8 feet meets your definition of FAR LARGER.
In NYC the Lincoln "real" IMAX is 76' by 97' (HUGE) and the Empire "fake" imax is only 25' by 58' (not so huge - 3550 sq feet smaller in fact which is twice as big as my house. Scott AMC and Regal wanted IMAX to differentiate by calling it IMAX Digital but IMAX refused to allow it. "IMAX CEO Gelfond explained that the company feared an “IMAX Digital” brand might cast the older film-based theaters as “second-class citizens” in the public’s mind, since “digital” generally has connotations of “newer,” and “cooler.”
Where is Gelfond getting the number of 90 percent disagreement? The majority AGREE with what Aziz is saying.
Waaaaaa!