Excitement for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is building – and fast. With little under four months to go until the release of J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi sequel, Disney is beginning to map out release plans in order to ensure that the film enjoys the biggest launch possible. One such strategy will involve its run in IMAX theaters. Despite only containing one single sequence in the big-screen format, the House of Mouse has today confirmed that The Force Awakens will be broadcast in IMAX theaters for an entire month.
Sure, it’s not unprecedented – Warner Bros. secured a similar deal for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy – but it is still remarkable. According to The Hollywood Reporter, such a tactic will mean that The Force Awakens will be screened in 375 to 400 IMAX screens across the States and a further 400 more internationally, benefitting from the premium ticket prices in the process.
Even though this holiday season is packed to the brim with high-profile releases such as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 and In the Heart of the Sea, it is Star Wars: The Force Awakens that is the undisputed heavyweight, and today’s announcement only reaffirms this status. Additionally, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s much-hyped drama The Revenant (due to release on January 8) will only enjoy a fleeting run in the IMAX format after January 15, though if Abrams’ marquee release is still pulling in the numbers at that point, there’s every chance Disney could extend this run even further.
As for the actual IMAX sequence hidden away in the film, all signs point to it revolving around Finn (John Boyega) and Rey’s (Daisy Ridely) escape/escapade in Jakku, where the Millennium Falcon – and, presumably, Han and Chewie – enter the fray only to be hunted down be a pair of TIE Fighters.
All will be answered when Star Wars: The Force Awakens blasts into theaters on December 18. If everything goes to plan, Disney’s IMAX run of the film will continue right through until January 15 and possibly beyond.
