IMAX enjoyed a record December opening weekend of $11 mil. with nearly exclusive showings of Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” in 300 IMAX theaters.
That’s a per-screen average of $37,000 per theater, no doubt helped by an exclusive world premiere six-minute teaser intro scene from “Dark Knight Rises” in 42 select locations from the same filmmaker, Christopher Nolan, who helped pioneer the integration of full-scale IMAX scenes into standard-format movies with his “Dark Knight.”
After running in only 125 traditional theaters since the movie opened on IMAX screens on Dec. 16, the fourth episode in the Tom Cruise franchise opens wide in all theaters Dec. 21.
Also debuting Wednesday, Dec. 21, is Steven Spielberg’s motion-capture “The Adventures of Tintin,” in both IMAX and 3D.
— By Scott Hettrick