WAIT FOR IT!
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince in IMAX 3D is worth the wait…At The Henry Ford, of course!
It’s finally July! I know all you Harry Potter fans waited for July 15th with bated breath for the release of The Half-Blood Prince. So when I implore you to wait just a little longer I know what you are thinking: this muggle has gone mental!
Yep. It’s true. We are not opening the film until July 29th. You are probably wondering why in the world The Henry Ford & other IMAX theaters would choose to break from their normal “day and date” schedule for the Harry Potter series and NOT open on July 15th. We are not crazy, we didn’t choose this. Believe me, we are as disappointed as you are.
It was in the summer of 2008, when The Dark Knight dominated the box-offices that Warner Brothers decided to move the release of Harry Potter 6 from November 2008 to the summer of 2009.
The problem with this decision is that IMAX Corp, who negotiate on behalf of all their partner-theatres directly with the studios, had already planned their entire 2009 film release schedule. Unfortunately, this schedule was solid by mid-2008. When Warner Brothers moved HP6 to July of 2009 (from Nov of 2008), its release was too close to Transformers 2; Revenge of the Fallen in June that was already set and negotiated (and is AWESOME on the IMAX screen if you haven’t seen it).
Hollywood studios hang their hats on the first couple weeks of new movie ticket sales so they carefully time releases to allow each film to do as well as it possibly can. IMAX theatres like The Henry Ford’s, with only one screen, can’t possibly meet the needs of both studios at once in the same, short time-frame.
The compromise was that IMAX theatres just have to wait for HP6. Thus is life, I say. We just happen to have too much of a good thing (i.e. too many great summer films).
So why should you wait? You could certainly go to a regular 35mm commercial theatre to see HP6 on opening day. But if you have been to The Henry Ford IMAX Theatre, you know your movie experience at a commercial theater, just won’t be the same.
If you haven’t been here, this is a short list of what you are missing:
- The BIGGEST IMAX 3D screen in Michigan—six stories high by eight stories wide
- 12,000 Watt Surround Sound System
- Crystal-Clear REAL FILM image (better than digital)
And the best part—the first full 15 minutes of Harry Potter 6 is in IMAX 3D.
You simply cannot beat IMAX 3D—and the only place to see it in Southeast Michigan is at The Henry Ford. You’ve already waited eight months, what’s two more weeks for a truly magical HP6 experience?
*One additional note for those of you that are paying close attention— Only 3 IMAX theatres world-wide received permission from IMAX and Warner Brothers to open the film on July 15th.—
AMC Century City 15 (digital, smaller screen, but still IMAX) in Los Angeles, CA
AMC Loews Lincoln Square (a true IMAX, real film, big screen) in midtown Manhattan, New York City
Henry Crown OMNIMAX (aka IMAX-Dome) at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago, IL- they were given special permission because they have the Harry Potter traveling exhibition.
Amy Louise Bartlett
Director of Visitor Services & IMAX
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