Star Wars awakens the force of IMAX

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See the new Star Wars as it was meant to be seen

The Force Awakens at IMAX

Though you’ll probably have a tough time getting into sessions of Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens at IMAX, it sure seems that it’ll be well worth it for those Sydneysiders who do manage to acquire tickets, with the announcement that IMAX Darling Harbour will be one of only 20 cinemas in the world to screen 2D 15/70 IMAX film prints of the hugely anticipated movie.

IMAX Darling Harbour, which has the distinction of being the largest IMAX screen in the world, is also the only cinema in Australia that will be showing the film in this special format, just as its filmmakers intended.

Though the majority of The Force Awakens was shot with 35mm film stock, 15-perf 70mm IMAX film stock was used in specific sequences to give them an added sense of epicness.

It’s gonna be huuuuuge

But how much bigger is it? Well, 15/70 film allows for an image that’s around ten times larger than 35mm.

The 15/70 format also gives the film a different shape and aspect ratio (1:33.1), allowing JJ Abrams & Co. to fill out the entire IMAX screen.

The film stock’s thickness also requires the film to be placed on horizontal platters, instead of the usual film reels associated with 35mm.

Films presented in the 15/70 format include Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar.

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Stephen Lambrechts
Stephen Lambrechts
Senior Journalist, Phones and Entertainment

Stephen primarily covers phones and entertainment for TechRadar's Australian team, and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming in both print and online for over a decade. He's obsessed with smartphones, televisions, consoles and gaming PCs, and has a deep-seated desire to consume all forms of media at the highest quality possible. 

He's also likely to talk a person’s ear off at the mere mention of Android, cats, retro sneaker releases, travelling and physical media, such as vinyl and boutique Blu-ray releases. Right now, he's most excited about QD-OLED technology, The Batman and Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga.