Earlier this summer, Jurassic World set the new all-time domestic box office weekend record with $208 million. If that record is going to fall anytime soon, Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens has the best shot at making that happen. But much like the First Order, Disney is stacking the deck in its favor.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been booked in every IMAX screen in North America for one month, starting on December 18th. Domestically, that’s approximately 375 to 400 IMAX screens, with more IMAX locations likely to open this fall. Additionally, The Force Awakens will also take up most of IMAX’s international screens as well.
To further entice Star Wars fans to watch The Force Awakens on the biggest of big screens, director J.J. Abrams filmed a major sequence with IMAX cameras to fully take advantage of the format. In a brief statement, IMAX Entertainment CEO Greg Foster added, “Star Wars: Episode VII is the ultimate crossover movie — it crosses over to everyone.â€
The deal between Disney/Lucasfilm and IMAX is similar to the one between IMAX and Warner Bros. for the release of The Hobbit trilogy. But the fallout means that late 2015 and early 2016 films like Heart of the Sea and The Revenant will be shut out of the lucrative IMAX market. There is also the possibility that The Force Awakens’ stay in IMAX theaters could be extended, if the demand to see the movie is still peaking a month after it is released.
Star Wars fans, will you see The Force Awakens in IMAX or in regular theaters? Use the Force and share your thoughts in the comment section below!
