Saskatoon's Imax is actually a 'Liemax'

Movie lovers in Saskatoon were thrilled to hear about the new Imax Theatre, but we've been had by Hollywood again.

I was at the first screening, The Avengers: Infinity War, and it paled in comparison to a true Imax experience. Turns out we didn't get the 70mm Imax like the Science Centre in Regina has. Ours is what they call Digital Imax, or as pundits call it, "Liemax."   

You may be asking, "Are you just a smelly movie geek loser that thinks too hard about this kind of thing, or is there actually a difference?"

The answer is both.  

Imax in name, but not in dimensions

Without getting too technical about pixels or aspect ratios, the main reason to see an Imax movie is screen size. When the screen is a gargantuan six stories high, it creates an immersive experience, putting you inside the movie.

The "LieMAX" screens are much smaller than the original Imax screens. In most cases, a Liemax screen is around a third the size of an Imax screen, a difference of about 50 feet in height and 40 feet in length. The Liemax is bigger than a normal theatre screen, but nowhere near what has been branded and sold to us as the traditional Imax experience.

Whether you're a hardcore movie geek or just a casual filmgoer, we both deserve a quality experience for that much money.- Craig Silliphant

Imax misrepresents this product. The company is called Imax, so whatever they make can technically be called Imax. It's a loophole.

Of course they're charging increased prices. In fact, Saskatoon's Liemax costs more per ticket than Regina's true Imax. This leaves me with no choice but to call shenanigans.

Hollywood always looking to squeeze out bucks

Sadly, gimmicks and misrepresentations are rampant in the industry. Movie attendance is down, thanks to streaming, better home theatres, and people who think the theatre is their living room (Stop texting during movies. You know who you are). Hollywood needs to make up for plummeting attendance by increasing ticket prices, so you get scams like 3D, which is much worse than Liemax. 

There have only been a handful of movies, like Avatar, that were actually designed and shot in 3D. The rest use a cheap up-conversion process, costing the studio little, but increasing their box office take enormously. They charge more, while giving us an inferior viewing experience. I could go on about the issues with 3D, but let me just say, in what logical universe do you pay extra to don a pair of dark sunglasses to watch a movie?  

"Meh, this is your thing," people tell me. "I'm just a regular moviegoer."  Or, for brevity, they just say, "Get a life, wiener."

I do have a life. It includes taking my family to the movies, which, for a family of four, can add up to over $100.00 pretty quickly. Whether you're a hardcore movie geek or just a casual filmgoer, we both deserve a quality experience for that much money.

Work on improving experience

The short-term win is to trick us into paying for the latest snake oil gimmick, which is contributing to the erosion of regular moviegoers. The long-term solution is to provide a better experience. Stop people from using their cell phones. Stop pushing 3D. Stop making me watch a half hour of commercials before the show.

Further to this, make better movies. I love Disney's Star Wars and Marvel franchises, but movies have become an assembly line of CGI blockbusters that each need to make a billion dollars or the system implodes.

Give us smaller, thought-provoking fare like The Godfather, Pulp Fiction, or even When Harry Met Sally. Create a new generation of everyday movie lovers who spend their money on the quality experience of seeing a great film with their friends or family on a Saturday night.  

Or, you know, just bring back Smell-o-vision and charge a couple of bucks more a ticket.

This column is part of CBC's Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read this editor's blog and our FAQ.