Trip to UK to see TDKR in IMAX

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Hi guys,

I am thinking of heading over to London to see The Dark Knight Rises in IMAX :P

Is there anybody else going over ? When would be the best time? Opening day or maybe wait a week.

Any advice on Cinema etc would be great.

Thanks

Marcusm

BFI IMAX at Waterloo station is the original one in central London. There is also one at the Odeon in "Greenwich" (not really) but that's a fairly difficult proposition by public transport.

jc84

i go to the BFI IMAX every time i go back to england, it really doesn't matter which day/nite you go because every seat will be packed out, that is guaranteed, make sure you book early, I couldn't get any decent tickets to prometheus in time and the dark knight will be way more popular than that

the BFI in waterloo is so easy to get to, it's literally a minutes walk from the station there and I'm sure it's the biggest screen in the UK, I'm heading over myself in august, can't wait

oxygen

What about the imax in Belfast, how does that compare. That's where I'm planning on seeing it

jc84

oxygen_temp wrote: »

What about the imax in Belfast, how does that compare. That's where I'm planning on seeing it

is that one not closed down?

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Yea Looks good for Monday after release for €40 euro return :P Back and all on the same day. I must be mad going to London for one day to see a film

Sad Professor

Afaik these are the only "real" 70mm IMAX cinemas in the UK:

BFI London
National Media Museum IMAX Bradford
Glasgow Science Centre IMAX Cinema
Odeon Manchester IMAX @ The Printworks

Vokes

flowrider04, unfortunately you won't get tickets for The Dark Knight Rises unless you know the exact time the tickets go on sale and you to happen to have the booking website open at hand. Typically these'll be on sale about 4 weeks before release.

Back in 2008, TDK was sold out for the first days within minutes. Even the crazy times like 2am and 6am showings.

As mentioned by jc84 above, Prometheus was pretty much sold out within mins of going Live. (Got my tickets for the Monday :cool:)

Good luck.

jc84

flowrider04 wrote: »

Yea Looks good for Monday after release for €40 euro return :P Back and all on the same day. I must be mad going to London for one day to see a film

no your not mad, it will be well worth it, but keep an eye on the website as it will sell out fast, your not booking the flights before the cinema tickets are you? Also if you didn't want to fly in and out same day there is a cheap enough travelodge just a few minutes walk from the IMAX, have stayed there twice and it's decent enough

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Vokes wrote: »

flowrider04, unfortunately you won't get tickets for The Dark Knight Rises unless you know the exact time the tickets go on sale and you to happen to have the booking website open at hand. Typically these'll be on sale about 4 weeks before release.

Back in 2008, TDK was sold out for the first days within minutes. Even the crazy times like 2am and 6am showings.

As mentioned by jc84 above, Prometheus was pretty much sold out within mins of going Live. (Got my tickets for the Monday :cool:)

Good luck.

Mmmh I wonder how long it will be on in BFI - The Olympics are starting the week after and the price of flights go up.

Haven't booked anything yet Cant wait to as its my first time to experience IMAX :P

GAAman

oxygen_temp wrote: »

What about the imax in Belfast, how does that compare. That's where I'm planning on seeing it

You might want to replan, that one has been closed down for a few years now!

jc84

flowrider04 wrote: »

Mmmh I wonder how long it will be on in BFI - The Olympics are starting the week after and the price of flights go up.

Haven't booked anything yet Cant wait to as its my first time to experience IMAX :P

I'd imagine it will be playing in BFI for a long time, the next big imax film this year is resident evil and that isn't scheduled for release until september, although they do play documentaries now and again, i'd say it will run from July 20th to near the end of august, demand will be crazy, I could be wrong though, as long as you keep an eye on the website you should be ok for the date you want, you won't be disappointed either IMAX is brilliant

Fysh

There is an Odeon IMAX cinema in Swiss Cottage now as well - it may not be "true" IMAX as per Sad Professor's comment but it's central enough to be easily accessible (there's a Jubilee Line tube stop about 30 seconds away) and that wasn't anywhere near as busy for eg Prometheus IMAX 3D screenings.

Reading around a bit it seems to be one of the Digital IMAX screens, where it's still a good bit bigger than a regular cinema screen but nowhere near as big as a full-IMAX screen. There's some more (speculative in some cases) info on this AVForums thread.

On the other hand it's down the road from me so I'm happy enough anyway

Sad Professor

For anyone considering travelling: make sure the cinema is a true 70mm IMAX theatre. Because non-70mm or "fake"/Digital IMAX isn't worth travelling to the UK for. Not when you can go to iSense, which is basically the same thing minus the IMAX branding. Or better yet - Vue which is larger and not to mention cheaper.

The problem with "digital IMAX" in this instance is not just the size of the screen, it's the quality and aspect ratio that the film is being presented in. 70mm IMAX will become taller during the IMAX-shot scenes, where as digital IMAX won't. There's also the fact that digital projection can't match the high resolution of the 70mm IMAX format that Nolan shot in.

johnny_ultimate

Yep unless you're going to see an IMAX screen that genuinely fits the IMAX design specs, it's a waste of time and money. An IMAX screen is defined by its almost square design and massive size. You can tell in a second when you're at a genuine screen. When the film is playing - as per my experience with TDK - the aspect ratio and quality will undergo a massive shift during the dedicated IMAX scenes (the whole film isn't filmed in the format, importantly). There's a big difference between that experience and seeing a film on a screen that's just a slightly bigger one than normal.

Here's a pic that possibly makes more sense. Only the bigger screen is genuine IMAX.

Fysh

Sad Professor wrote: »

For anyone considering travelling: make sure the cinema is a true 70mm IMAX theatre. Because non-70mm or "fake"/Digital IMAX isn't worth travelling to the UK for.

Yeah, I'd get behind that sentiment. This weekend's screening of Prometheus at Swiss Cottage is my test run for it as a screen - I saw TDK at the BFI IMAX screen and was blown away (like everyone else). I don't have the same expectations of Prometheus so I won't be as disappointed if the screen's a real let-down, but it may well mean that I wait a couple of weeks and catch TDKR at the BFI IMAX instead...

Tusky

Vokes wrote: »

flowrider04, unfortunately you won't get tickets for The Dark Knight Rises unless you know the exact time the tickets go on sale and you to happen to have the booking website open at hand. Typically these'll be on sale about 4 weeks before release.

Back in 2008, TDK was sold out for the first days within minutes. Even the crazy times like 2am and 6am showings.

As mentioned by jc84 above, Prometheus was pretty much sold out within mins of going Live. (Got my tickets for the Monday :cool:)

Good luck.

This is bad news. Myself and a bunch of friends are going over for it and have already booked flights and accommodation

I knew we would have to be quick, but thought we might have a day or so from when they went on sale. Bah.

Josey Wales

I did the trip to the BFI IMAX for Avatar. We went over a couple of days after release and didn't seem to have a problem getting a ticket.

I am planning the same thing for TDKR. I'm hoping getting a ticket won't be as hard as people think.

Steveo.1985

It is BS that we are in the 21st century and Ireland doesn't have one IMAX screen in the entore country, I was planning on a roadtrip to Belfast until I learned it was closed and I don't have the money/time to get to the UK to see it. So I'm gonna have to settle for the ISENSE screen in the ODEN at the Point Village.

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Steveo.1985 wrote: »

It is BS that we are in the 21st century and Ireland doesn't have one IMAX screen in the entore country, I was planning on a roadtrip to Belfast until I learned it was closed and I don't have the money/time to get to the UK to see it. So I'm gonna have to settle for the ISENSE screen in the ODEN at the Point Village.

I am told that iSense in ODEN Blanchardstown is bigger than Point Village.

Sad Professor

As I said above, if it's a big screen you want, go to Vue, it's considerably larger than iSense. 195 vs 156 square metres.

Steveo.1985

Sad Professor wrote: »

As I said above, if it's a big screen you want, go to Vue, it's considerably larger than iSense. 195 vs 156 square metres.

Is that the one at Liffey Valley?? (I don't live in Dublin, only work here Mon-Fri so not that familiar)

Vokes

Tusky wrote: »

This is bad news. Myself and a bunch of friends are going over for it and have already booked flights and accommodation

I knew we would have to be quick, but thought we might have a day or so from when they went on sale. Bah.

Tusky, to maximize your chances, best to follow their Twitter/Facebook updates. And sign up to their weekly newsletter email.

Sad Professor

Steveo.1985 wrote: »

Is that the one at Liffey Valley?? (I don't live in Dublin, only work here Mon-Fri so not that familiar)

Yep.

Sad Professor

You could also just go to the Savoy. I haven't been there in a few years, so I don't know what the sound etc is like, but Screen 1 is true widescreen, which probably makes it slightly larger than even Vue for films like this.

north cider

FLOWRIDER04, who are you going with for €40 return ??

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north cider wrote: »

FLOWRIDER04, who are you going with for €40 return ??

Ryanair - Two people 23rd of July into London Luton = €83

pickarooney

I hope the film isn't **** after all that.

S.M.B.

Fysh wrote: »

Yeah, I'd get behind that sentiment. This weekend's screening of Prometheus at Swiss Cottage is my test run for it as a screen - I saw TDK at the BFI IMAX screen and was blown away (like everyone else). I don't have the same expectations of Prometheus so I won't be as disappointed if the screen's a real let-down, but it may well mean that I wait a couple of weeks and catch TDKR at the BFI IMAX instead...

Is the Swiss Cottage screening IMAX 3D or just IMAX?

Sad Professor

S.M.B. wrote: »

Is the Swiss Cottage screening IMAX 3D or just IMAX?

It's Digital IMAX, i.e. "fake" IMAX.

There's only 4 or 5 true IMAX theatres in the UK, which I listed earlier.

S.M.B.

Yup, I'm aware of that.

The BFI IMAX is only showing Prometheus as an IMAX 3D Experience though. I'm looking for the the ideal place to watch it in 2D.

On further research the Swiss Cottage Odeon is showing it in (fake) IMAX 3D.

It's proving quite difficult to find a proper 2D screening of some films these days.

Rabies

Is flying to another country not over kill to watch a movie?

Not poking fun here, don't think that.
I'm really looking forward to it myself. Will be there for the midnight screening when it gets released.
Just seems over the top to watch a movie.

Am the only one thinking this?

jks411

I suppose it's really down to how much it costs. England's only next door to be fair. So its not far and because of Ryanair flights can be really cheap,
I live in a town with no IMAX and I travel a 60 minute train journey to Birmingham, they have something called the big screen at millennium point (I think it's an IMAX) when there's a good film out
Always had a great time and the films have been outstanding. Watching the dark night on a screen four storeys tall blew my mind. The opening scene with the bank robbery alone was worth the ticket price.

Tusky

Rabies wrote: »

Is flying to another country not over kill to watch a movie?

Not poking fun here, don't think that.
I'm really looking forward to it myself. Will be there for the midnight screening when it gets released.
Just seems over the top to watch a movie.

Am the only one thinking this?

We're making a weekend of it so doing other stuff as well. Big Batman fans and have never seen a film on a true IMAX screen. Not something I would be doing often but I think it's worth it as a treat every now and again.

jc84

Rabies wrote: »

Is flying to another country not over kill to watch a movie?

Not poking fun here, don't think that.
I'm really looking forward to it myself. Will be there for the midnight screening when it gets released.
Just seems over the top to watch a movie.

Am the only one thinking this?

i go to everytime i go back home to england, although even if i didn't go back so often I would probably still go to for imax trips, its so cheap to go nowdays and well worth it for the right movie, haven't been since MI4 so can't wait

S.M.B.

MI4 in IMAX was stunning!

Would happily go to any movie that was filmed especially for IMAX.

Bring on TDKR!

Vokes

Tusky, got an email from BFI IMAX. TDKR tickets are on sale on Monday, June 11th. No specific time mentioned though.

EDIT/

0001hrs on the Sunday night / Monday morning.

davpigboy

Does anyone know if we are getting are own genuine imax cinema here in Dublin heard something like this a while ago but has this since fallen through

Sad Professor

davpigboy wrote: »

Does anyone know if we are getting are own genuine imax cinema here in Dublin heard something like this a while ago but has this since fallen through

It was initially believed that the new Odeon cinema in Point Village would have IMAX, but it turned out to be faux IMAX. It would appear that iSense is basically Digital IMAX minus the branding. Why this is I don't know. Maybe they didn't want the expense and decided to slap their own name on it, or maybe it didn't meet IMAX's (very low) standards.

CMpunked

A true imax screen is 76 feet tall?! Holy wow. I've been missing out.

I'm going to be in manchester at the end of July, is it worth going to here to see TDKR?

From the bio:

The ultimate giant screen experience - The IMAX screen at Manchester is our biggest yet! With a floor to ceiling screen 18.8 metres high and 26.3 metres wide,

But is it really?

davpigboy

Sad Professor wrote: »

davpigboy wrote: »

Does anyone know if we are getting are own genuine imax cinema here in Dublin heard something like this a while ago but has this since fallen through

It was initially believed that the new Odeon cinema in Point Village would have IMAX, but it turned out to be faux IMAX. It would appear that iSense is basically Digital IMAX minus the branding. Why this is I don't know. Maybe they didn't want the expense and decided to slap their own name on it, or maybe it didn't meet IMAX's (very low) standards.

Do you know what resolution it can display i mean they are making films now with 4k cameras would any cinemas in Ireland get near this

Sad Professor

iSense is 4k, yeah. So is Vue, at least some of the cinemas. I don't know about everywhere else. Mostly still 2k I'd imagine. Up until recently most films were only distributed in 2k anyway, so it wouldn't have made much difference.

As I said earlier in the thread, though, 70mm IMAX is probably equivalent to 10-12k. Everyone is obsessed with screen size, but resolution is really the big issue here and is what separates "real" IMAX from "fake" IMAX.

Antar Bolaeisk

Sad Professor wrote: »

iSense is 4k, yeah. So is Vue, at least some of the cinemas. I don't know about everywhere else. Mostly still 2k I'd imagine. Up until recently most films were only distributed in 2k anyway, so it wouldn't have made much difference.

As I said earlier in the thread, though, 70mm IMAX is probably equivalent to 10-12k. Everyone is obsessed with screen size, but resolution is really the big issue here and is what separates "real" IMAX from "fake" IMAX.

As far as I'm aware digital IMAX is only 2K but projected twice so you get a brighter picture.

70mm print should have a higher resolution than 4K but I don't think I've ever seen accurate figures on 70mm so can't say with certainty though I think it's sub 10K.

With regards to heading to London to see Rises, I so would had I the time and could be guaranteed to get a ticket.

Hmmmm.... Maybe I'll just convince the local cinema to install an Imax screen....

Oafley Jones

Sad Professor wrote: »

As I said earlier in the thread, though, 70mm IMAX is probably equivalent to 10-12k. Everyone is obsessed with screen size, but resolution is really the big issue here and is what separates "real" IMAX from "fake" IMAX.

Aspect ratio and by extension screen size is the critical difference in the context of the DKR.

Sad Professor

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

As far as I'm aware digital IMAX is only 2K but projected twice so you get a brighter picture.

70mm print should have a higher resolution than 4K but I don't think I've ever seen accurate figures on 70mm so can't say with certainty though I think it's sub 10K.

Yeah, digital IMAX is dual 2k. I assume the plan to eventually have dual 4k, which should be very impressive. If iSense is just a single 4k projector that would be a pretty big difference from digital IMAX - not nearly as bright.

As for 70mm, I suppose in practice, by the time a print and everything has been made from it, it probably is significantly less than 10k.

Oafley Jones wrote: »

Aspect ratio and by extension screen size is the critical difference in the context of the DKR.

From the audience's perspective, perhaps. But Nolan isn't shooting in the IMAX format because he likes the aspect ratio or the screen size. It's because of the high resolution, which only 70mm IMAX projection can do justice. A dual-2k digital projection of TDKR onto an 50ft IMAX-size screen still wouldn't come close to matching 70mm IMAX. Resolution really is the major factor. And of course brightness.

403 Forbidden

Just a quick update that BFI IMAX sales go live at midnight.

Have problems trying to get onto site - Hope this is not a sign

Vokes

Try this: https://t.co/F3yo2Ur4 ?

I've managed to book some. Webserver is very slow.

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im trying and its hanging

Still trying its for monday not even opening :P

20 mins later still the same - can anyone else get in ?

https://tickets.bfi.org.uk/selectseat.asp?Venue=IMAX&PerIndex=36030

ADarkKnight88

Just crashes when i select my time

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ADarkKnight88 wrote: »

Just crashes when i select my time

Yea thats where i am too

Josey Wales

I'm heading to bed. I'll try early in the morning.