The latest installment of one of cinema’s truly legendary franchises, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” — the first in Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars” sequel trilogy — opens Friday, March 25 for the first time in Connecticut in 70mm IMAX® film projection at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.
Tickets are on sale at the aquarium’s website to experience “Episode VII” as you’ve been unable to do until now: in full-frame 70mm film projection.
Scene from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” premieres in Connecticut’s largest IMAX Theater, with a screen that’s six stories high, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 25. It then will play at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 6 p.m. on Sundays.
J.J. Abrams, director of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” shot key sequences of the movie using IMAX cameras, the highest-resolution cameras in the world. Only in IMAX theaters – like The Maritime Aquarium’s – do these sequences expand to fill the entire screen with breathtaking image quality for a truly immersive experience.
“Even if you saw ‘The Force Awakens’ in your local moviehouse, you have not yet experienced ‘The Force Awakens’ as you will here at The Maritime Aquarium,” said Chris Loynd, the Aquarium’s marketing director. “Let our dramatic format and giant screen transport you once again to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.”
Only 15 prints were made of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in the 70mm IMAX film format. (Most IMAX theaters showed digital versions of the movie.)
The Maritime Aquarium is just one of four theaters worldwide currently offering “The Force Awakens” in 70mm IMAX film projection, which combines the brightest, clearest images at almost 10 times the resolution of standard-projection formats with powerful, laser-aligned digital sound and customized theater geometry to create the world’s most immersive film experience.
“I’m a huge fan of what IMAX is about,” Abrams said. “I wanted to shoot this one sequence in the format to have a movie – even one sequence of it – shot using those cameras. You feel it. And it ends up being that much more fun to watch. For fans of ‘Star Wars,’ they’ll get to experience a sequence in a way they haven’t before.
“That feeling of going to the movies, and having a fully immersive powerful high-quality presentation of the film — it’s something that’s more valuable than ever, and I think that IMAX stands for that,” Abrams added. “And when you go to see a movie in that format, you know you’re going to get something that is the best version of going out to the movies.”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was directed by Abrams from a screenplay by Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt. This seventh episode of the “Star Wars” series stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, and introduces Daisy Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as Finn.
From “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Since its release in December, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has become the only film ever to make more than $900 million domestically, and is just one of three to make more than $2 billion worldwide. (The other two are “Titanic” and “Avatar,” unadjusted for inflation.)
Entertainment Weekly says these totals merely add to a long list of box-office achievements by “The Force Awakens.” “Since opening in mid-December, ‘The Force Awakens’ has set multiple records, including the biggest domestic opening day of all time ($119.1 million), the biggest domestic ($247.9 million) and global ($528.9 million) opening weekend ever, and the fastest film to $1 billion (12 days of global release),” Entertainment Weekly reported.
The film is 2 hours and 15 minutes long, and is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence.
Tickets for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at The Maritime Aquarium are $12.95 for adults, $11.95 for youth (13-17) & seniors (65+), and $10.95 for children 3-12.
Reserve your tickets or get more information by calling (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206, or go to www.maritimeaquarium.org.