Tucsonans will finally get a taste of the mega-screen IMAX theater.
IMAX is reformatting one of the theaters at AMC Loews Foothills, replacing one of the screens with a larger, slightly curved screen and placing it closer to the audience.
It's part of a 100-screen national joint venture between IMAX and AMC Entertainment.
IMAX is also installing a dual-projector system to show a larger, brighter and sharper picture than what you'll see in regular theaters, as well as an improved sound system.
Jackson Myers, an IMAX spokesman, would not reveal the dimensions of the screen at Foothills Mall but said IMAX screens in multiplexes typically range from 25 feet high by 50 feet wide to 47 feet high by 75 feet wide.
For a comparison, the Loft boasts a screen that's 22 feet high by 49 feet wide.
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The multiplex IMAX screens are dwarfed by the regular IMAX screens, which measure at 76 feet high by 97 feet high.
Detractors have dubbed the smaller IMAX screens "IMAX Lite" and "LIEMAX."
Myers said it's not fair to compare the size of IMAX screens with other screens because IMAX screens stretch from wall to wall, are closer to the audience and boast better projection and sound systems.
"The overall experience is completely different," he said. "It's an immersive experience."
The IMAX screen will be capable of showing 2D as well as 3D movies, Myers said.
IMAX facts
IMAX screens are in 445 theaters in 47 countries. IMAX screens are also in museums and customers have bought more than 1 billion IMAX tickets since the first theater opened in 1970.
SOURCE: IMAX.com
IF YOU GO
The theater opens Sept. 3 at Foothills Mall, 7401 N. La Cholla Blvd.
The first film debuting on the IMAX screen is "Resident Evil: Afterlife - An IMAX Experience."
Other movies on the IMAX slate include "Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" (Sept. 24), "MegaMind (Nov. 5), "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" (Nov. 19) and "Tron: Legacy" (Dec. 17).
AMC has not released ticket prices for IMAX shows, but other theaters around the country have placed a $5 surcharge on tickets.
Contact reporter Phil Villarreal at pvillarreal@azstarnet.com or 573-4130.