SM Cinema and the IMAX Corporation announced that 10 IMAX with Laser systems will be installed in the Philippines. To be exact, seven existing IMAX theaters will get the Laser upgrade, with three new theaters set to open as well.
Specifically, the new deal between them will bring IMAX theaters to three new locations in the Philippines, all with the IMAX with Laser system. Meanwhile, the seven existing SM Cinema IMAX theaters (not counting the SM Iloilo theater which already has a Laser projector) will get upgraded to the new system, with three set to open in 2024 while the rest will open before the end of 2026.
It’s not clear where the three new locations will be, but what can be said for certain is that the following IMAX theaters will soon get the upgrades: SM Mall of Asia, SM North EDSA, SM Megamall, SM Aura Premier, SM Clark, SM Cebu, and SM Lanang Premier
So, what exactly does IMAX with Laser upgrades mean? Well, IMAX’s Laser system should deliver a much brighter image, not to mention more detail as it has a 4K resolution. For comparison, IMAX’s older digital system has an effective resolution of 2K.
This should give an overall better viewing experience, especially for movies that are filmed with IMAX cameras, whether the “true” IMAX film cameras used in movies like Oppenheimer, or the digital IMAX versions.
What’s not clear is if IMAX will bring the dual-projector laser system or the single-projector version. The key difference between the two is that the dual-projector version can project a 1.43 image, meaning it can fill up the entire screen of the Mall of Asia IMAX theater (which previously had a proper film projector setup). To give you a better idea of the differences, check out this handy guide for Oppenheimer.
Hopefully that’s the case with the Mall of Asia theater. As for the others though which feature the smaller 1.90:1 ratio screen, they’ll likely get the single projector version.
In related news, Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle is finally coming to PH cinemas tomorrow, including select IMAX theaters.
Source: PR Newswire