Hot off the heels of the London Science Museum presenting a series of 70mm IMAX showings of classic science fiction movies, the BFI IMAX at Waterloo in London is also getting in on the 70mm IMAX film action. In the run-up to Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated new film Oppenheimer, opening on 21 July 2023, the BFI is wheeling out its IMAX 70mm film camera to display no less than seven of Nolan’s previous films in IMAX 70mm format, as well as a Dark Knight all-nighter for the bat-crazy hardcore.
Nolan is known for his love of the IMAX format, so much so that as IMAX has no object-based sound format, he does not prepare one for home releases of his movies (such as Dolby Atmos), instead limiting them to 5.1. That said, IMAX movies, particularly in 12-channel guise, never sound less than incredible, so if you’re watching in the movie theatre you won’t feel you’re missing out. And what you lose in spatial audio you gain in truly remarkable full-frame IMAX 70mm footage – widely acknowledged to be the highest-quality film format that currently exists. The BFI IMAX is also known to be one of his favorite cinemas in the world – check out the Dark Knight poster signed by the man himself by the bar in the foyer.
The new screen at the BFI IMAX in London with the front sounds stage of the 12-channel sound system ... [+]
Nolan has only been shooting with native IMAX film cameras since the The Dark Knight in 2008 and while there are seven films in this 70mm presentation series, not all were shot with IMAX cameras. Inception was unusual in that the production meant they could not be used and Batman Begins predates IMAX being practical for movies. As such, Inception and Batman Begins are DMR upscales and therefore don’t have any sequences in the incredible IMAX 1.43:1 aspect ratio. (Check out my interview with Bruce Markoe, IMAX’s senior vice president and the head of post-production, where we talk about the DMR process).
It's great to see the full size of the BFI screen being employed for these films. The BFI always makes much of the fact that it has the biggest screen in the UK, but in terms of projected image size, that’s only true when projecting a 1.43:1 image – otherwise, for 1.90 IMAX content the Cineworld (Empire) Leicester Square IMAX is wider and therefore bigger. But that’s a niggle. I have seen Inception at the BFI IMAX before though, and it’s still very much a worthwhile experience.
- Tenet: shot with IMAX film cameras. 76 minutes presented in 1.43:1 aspect ratio
- Dunkirk: shot with IMAX film cameras. 79 minutes presented in 1.43:1 aspect ratio
- Interstellar: shot with IMAX film cameras – over an hour in 1.43
- Inception: shot on 35mm film. Upscaled to 70mm using the IMAX DMR process
- The Dark Knight Rises: shot with IMAX film cameras. 72 minutes in 1.43:1
- The Dark Knight: shot with IMAX film cameras. 28 minutes presented in 1.43:1 aspect ratio.
- Batman Begins: shot on 35mm film. Upscaled to 70mm using the IMAX DMR process
If you’re interested in getting tickets, you’d better drop everything and get in quick as this is bound to be a sell-out. And well done to the BFI for keeping to its word and making good use of the fact that it has kept hold of its IMAX film camera. The amount of film reels it’s going to have on during this Nolan season is going to be incredible. See you there!
