Guess size really does matter, in some cases anyway.
Star Wars fans are in for a very special treat this holiday season. IMAX Corp. director George Lucas and 20th Century Fox unveiled Monday a deal to show Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones in IMAX theaters.
According to Reuters, Lucasfilm Ltd. will use IMAX digital remastering technology called (DMR) to format the film for IMAX screens, which can stand eight stories high.
Jim Ward, Lucasfilm’s vice president of marketing, said on the official Star Wars Web site that the film is perfectly suited for the giant screen. “Star Wars: Episode II – The IMAX Experience will provide an entirely new way to experience the Star Wars universe,” he said. “For the first time, fans of Star Wars will be able to see all their favorite characters, environments, vehicles and droids in a setting that is up to eight stories high and over a hundred feet wide.”
The Toronto-based IMAX, which typically produces nature and science documentaries, said its new technology makes theatrical films as sharp to watch on IMAX screens as on regular movie screens. Standard 35mm films formatted for IMAX theaters usually lack the picture quality they have in traditional theaters.
The new technology could generate hefty royalty fees for IMAX if other Hollywood filmmakers follow in Lucas‘ footsteps, not to mention boost the company’s push to show Hollywood films on its giant screens.
Director Ron Howard‘s 1995 drama Apollo 13 will be released on IMAX Sept. 20, 2002 and eventually IMAX plans to show first-run films on the same day they are released in traditional theaters.
Star Wars: Episode II – The IMAX Experience is set to bow in IMAX theaters across the United States and Canada Nov. 1, 2002.
