Harry Potter Got the IMAX Bump from Transformers 2
I can’t believe this. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been bumped by Michael Bay’s, Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. Apparently, as much as I would like to blame Michael Bay and Paramount for this, it’s not their fault. According to THR, this is just one one of the repercussions of Warner Brothers deciding to move Harry Potter from it’s original November 8th release, to July 14. Due to Transformers four week contract with IMAX theaters, Potter is going to have to spend two weeks in non-IMAX theaters before being upgraded.
Just in case you were thinking you could get away with not seeing the film in 3-D the filmmakers have just converted 12 minutes of scenes to 3D, which will only be seen in the IMAX version. I think that if you go to see the film in the first two weeks on a normal theaters you should get a discount. They’re stealing 12 minutes of Potter from you, you deserve $3 off. Right?
Luckily for those of us in LA or NY, Potter will be appearing on two IMAX screens on the 14th, one in New York and one in Los Angeles. Sadly, everyone else won’t be getting the wide IMAX treatment until July 29.
Even though Merriman Curhan Ford analyst Eric Wold stated…
“There will obviously be some consumers that choose to wait for the Imax version with its 3-D scenes or will choose to see it for a second time, but we no not believe this will be enough to offset the negative impact from the move.”
I can’t imagine this won’t in some way effect their opening weekend numbers. Some people are going to either wait for IMAX version or see it once and then decide they can’t be bothered to go and see it again.
IMAX is already feeling the burn.
Shares of Imax dropped 4% on Monday to $7.31 after a Wall Street analyst said the delay “should negatively impact Imax boxoffice results.”
Although, there is the chance that because Harry Potter fans are so faithful that they will actually be pushing more of them to see the film twice, it seems like a really big risk to take.
Will you wait to see it in 3-D on a proper IMAX screen?
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 6:55PM
Something tells me they aren't going to have problems selling tickets. There is still an overwhelming majority of audiences that never see a film in IMAX, despite what fancy doo-dads it's dressed up with.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 3:24PM
[...] Blood Prince will be delayed two weeks due to Transformer’s four week IMAX contract (read full story). On July 15th, the day the movie is released to the public, the film will only be able to be seen [...]
Friday, July 10, 2009 12:13PM
[...] that whole IMAX dilemma hasn’t swayed Potter fans. MovieTickets.com had just reported that Harry Potter and the [...]
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 10:55AM
[...] across the country, but is it worth it? Absolutely. If you can wait, the experience will be even better in IMAX, but the story and the visuals hold up no matter what theater you’re [...]
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 12:12PM
[...] that Harry Potter won’t get money from for another two weeks because Transformers 2 is still taking up seats. We have still yet to see how that will effect sales, will it encourage people go and see the film [...]