INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis is one of the only places in the world where moviegoers can watch “Oppenheimer” the way director Christopher Nolan intended the audience to see it.
More than 700 people packed the IMAX theatre at the Indiana State Museum in downtown Indianapolis for 2 premiere screenings of the summer blockbuster on Thursday night.
“Anticipation is extremely high,” said Neale Johantgen, manager of the theater.
All of that anticipation is very high because this theatre can project the movie on 70-millimeter film.
This, according to several interviews he has given, is the way director Christopher Nolan intended the film to be seen.
However, transporting and projecting the 3-hour film on 70 mm is a tall task both literally and figuratively.
“It’s about as tall as I am,” said Johantgen. “But it’s 11 miles long and it weighs 600 pounds.”
Johantgen said this format provides a different way to watch a film.
“The way your eyes and your brain interpret it is a little bit smoother,” he said. “It’s significantly different than digital.”
The IMAX theatre inside the Indiana State Museum is one of only 19 theaters in the country, and 30 in the world, with the capability to screen all 262,000 of the frames inside the 70 mm reel. This, Johantgen said, is thanks to a 25-year-old IMAX GT Film projector.
“It’s an old piece of equipment, but still state of the art and pretty hard to beat,” the theater manager said. “Kind of sounds like a steam engine when it gets going.”
Still, Johantgen said the machine is nothing without the man behind it. In this case, the projectionist is Wayne.
When the film arrived in 9 different boxes, it was Wayne’s job to put it all together.
“It took him 3 and half days or so,” Johantgen said. “Splice it here, reel it, splice it here, reel it and keep going over and over and over again.”
Wayne is one of less than 100 people in the country who can do what he does.
All that work leads up to the film being played on the biggest screen in the state, which stands 60 feet tall and measures 80 feet wide.
“When you see this film here it will be enormous,” Johantgen said. “It will fill out a 6-story tall screen.”
Between the huge screen, Wayne, and the IMAX GT Film projector, the theatre boasts a combination not many in the world can match. This, Johantgen said, all adds up to just how director Christopher Nolan intended for the film to be seen.
“There’s nothing better than this right here,” said Johantgen.
As you can imagine, the demand for this few-of-a-kind experience has been huge.
“We have sold an extremely high number of tickets,” Johantgen said. “More than any other movie post-pandemic and it hasn’t even started yet.”
The theater can sit 357 people, and multiple shows on opening weekend have already sold out. Johantgen said people are coming from here in town, surrounding states and even either coast.
“There’s not one in Chicago, there isn’t one anywhere in Illinois, Kentucky or Ohio,” Johantgen said. “So, we find we’re pulling people in from all those locations and all across the country.”
Both of Thursday night’s shows and several throughout the weekend have already sold out the 357-seat theater.
Take it from someone who’s already watched Oppenheimer in this theater, you don’t want to miss it.
“Seeing it and hearing it on this scale, you just have to experience it for yourself,” said Johantgen. “It is moving, it is overwhelming.”
The IMAX theatre will have showings every day for the next 3 weeks, with multiple screenings each day. You can check ticket availability here on the IMAX website.
source https://indianapolisnewsstation.com/overwhelming-indy-imax-theater-screens-nolans-oppenheimer-on-70-mm-film-the-way-the-director-intended-2/
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