While I’m sure fanboys will be debating the big three of summer 2012 – Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man and Dark Knight Rises – long after the season ends, there’s no denying that (literally) millions of people are ready to line up to see Chris Nolan’s concluding chapter to his Batman trilogy.
However, when it comes to a cinematic event of this magnitude (and make no mistake, this is an EVENT), lining up for a ticket is just not enough. If you want to see The Dark Knight Rises on opening weekend, in full IMAX grandeur, you need to get your ticket well in advanced – and the way things are looking, even five weeks in advanced may not be enough.
Advanced tickets for The Dark Knight Rises are now on sale over at Fandango, and they are selling like hot cakes. If you are were hoping to get tickets to a midnight screening of TDKR on opening night, you may want to readjust your expectations. Shows in major metropolitan areas have been selling out left and right. If you were hoping to get a ticket for an IMAX show in general – again, you may want to adjust expectations, because if you are still reading this instead of clicking that Fandango link and ordering, you may find yourself having to wait a few days for a seat. Planning a big group outing for the movie? Better act even faster.
Here in New York, midnight shows are largely sold at the major IMAX theaters; I expect some of the second-tier theaters will sell out as these “Get your advanced tickets now!” articles and ads start to circulate the Web. In fact, the volume of sales have been so strong (exact stats are still forthcoming) that Fandango users have reported server crashes and/or errors as they try to buy. If you experience something similar, don’t be daunted: just refresh and try again until you either secure tickets or are met with a “sold out” notice.
BATMAN TRILOGY MOVIE MARATHON
Finally, some theaters will be running the ENTIRE Nolan trilogy – Batman Begins, The Dark Knight leading up to the Dark Knight Rises premiere. If you want to get onboard for that, head over to AMC Marathon Events.
THE ‘TRUE’ IMAX EXPERIENCE – KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!!!!
Chris Nolan filmed over an hour of Dark Knight Rises using IMAX cameras. For those who don’t remember, a few scenes in The Dark Knight (the opening heist, the hospital explosion, exterior shots of Gotham City and Hong Kong) were also filmed in “true IMAX,” and the results were pretty spectacular. You may be thinking to yourself that going to see TDKR in any theater that boasts an IMAX screen is good enough – but that’s not the case.
There are two types of IMAX screens: digital IMAX and 70mm IMAX. While digital is indeed impressive, you aren’t really getting “the full” IMAX experience – especially the one Chris Nolan intended – without that 70mm IMAX theater. 70mm is the only way you will be able to see everything that Nolan shot on IMAX cams.
Be sure to check with your local theater to find out what kind of IMAX screen they have. For a list of 70mm around the U.S. and UK, consult the list below:
70mm IMAX Screens in U.S., Canada and UK Cities
Austin, TX – IMAX Theater Austin – Austin
Boston, MA – Jordan’s IMAX – Natick
Boston, MA – IMAX 3D Theatre in Reading – Reading
Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Theatre Chinook 16 – Calgary
Chantilly, VA/Washington, DC – Udvar-Hazy Center IMAX – Chantilly
Chicago, IL – Navy Pier IMAX Theatre – Chicago
Des Moines, IA – SCI IMAX Dome Theater – Des Moines
Detroit, MI – Henry Ford IMAX – Dearborn
Edmonton, AB – Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton – Edmonton
Harrisburg, PA – Whitaker Center for Science & the Arts – Harrisburg
Houston, TX – Houston Marq*e Stadium 22 + IMAX – Houston
Indianapolis – White River IMAX – Indianapolis
Los Angeles, CA – Irvine Spectrum 20 + IMAX – Irvine
Los Angeles, CA – RAVE 18 + IMAX – Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA – Ontario Palace Stadium 22 + IMAX – Ontario
Los Angeles, CA – Citywalk Stadium 19 with IMAX – Universal City
Madison, WI – Star 18 Fitchburg with IMAX – Fitchburg
Miami, FL – AutoNation IMAX – Fort Lauderdale
Minneapolis, MN – Great Clips IMAX – Apple Valley
Montreal, QC – Cinema Banque Scotia Montreal – Montreal
Nashville,TN – Opry Mills Stadium 20 + IMAX – Nashville
New York, NY – Lincoln Square 13 with IMAX – New York
New York, NY – Palisades IMAX – West Nyack
Omaha, NE – Star Cinema 16 with IMAX – Council Bluffs
Orlando, FL – Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 + IMAX – Orlando
Ottawa, ON – Silvercity Gloucester + IMAX – Gloucester
Palm Springs – Desert IMAX Theatre – Cathedral City
Philadelphia, PA – IMAX & the Tropicana – Atlantic City
Philadelphia, PA – Tuttleman IMAX–Franklin Institute – Philadelphia
Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Mills 25 with IMAX – Tempe
Providence, RI – Providence Place 16 with IMAX – Providence
Quebec City, QC – IMAX Le Theatre At Quebec – Quebec City
Sacramento, CA – Esquire IMAX – Sacramento
San Antonio, TX – IMAX at RiverCenter – San Antonio
San Francisco, CA – Metreon 16 with IMAX & ETX – San Francisco
Seattle, WA – Boeing IMAX–Pacific Science Center – Seattle
Tampa, FL – Museum of Science and Industry – Tampa
Toronto, ON – Coliseum 12 Mississauga + IMAX – Mississauga
Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Theatre Toronto + IMAX – Toronto
Toronto, ON – Colossus 18 Woodbridge + IMAX – Woodbridge-Vaughan
Vancouver, BC – Colossus Langley + IMAX – Langley
Vancouver, BC – Silvercity Riverport 18 + IMAX – Richmond
UK – BFI London – London
UK – National Media Museum IMAX – Bradford
UK – Glasgow Science Centre IMAX Cinema – Glasgow
UK – Odeon Manchester IMAX @ The Printworks – Manchester
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The Dark Knight Rises in theaters at midnight, July 20, 2012.
