IMAX To The Min

In a move that screams careful planning and attention to brand, IMAX has signed a deal to distribute their films on mobile devices, TV, VOD, and other digital mediums. While I understand IMAX wanting to increase distribution of their films and thus their total audience, I'm not sure this is the way to accomplish that.

IMAX has always, and will always mean BIG. Big screens, big theaters, big sound, big movies. That's the appeal of IMAX and what sets the company apart from the local multiplex or the home theater. Sure, they make some good documentaries and the occasional feature film - but take away the spectacle of the large screen and I think their films would be lost in the shuffle of everything else.

When I was growing up, IMAX was a major attraction whenever my family and I took trips to the science museum. I liked seeing the films on the big screen and the feeling of complete immersion of the senses in the world that was being depicted on the screen. Lately, IMAX has made ventures into Hollywood film distribution in order to draw in larger audiences. I'm not sure what the official numbers look like, but I know whenever an anticipated film hits the IMAX screen (particularly popcorn flicks like 300), my friends and I are always itchin' to go. If I were an IMAX exec, I'd stick with this strategy and continue opening up new locations across the country. With HD screens increasing in size and decreasing in price, it's important for movie theaters to find ways to distinguish their product from what can easily be attained in the home environment - IMAX is the perfect solution to that problem.