Black eye for IMAX in front of the media tonight. A source tells me that a botched IMAX screening of The Dark Knight Rises sent about 100 reporters and critics home mid-movie tonight. Warner Bros apologized to the pissed-off invitees and is holding an 8 AM re-screening for them just prior to the Saturday press junket with all the film’s stars. An IMAX rep explained this was the only IMAX print of the movie on the entire West Coast:
“The computer device that syncs the picture and sound broke about 1 hour into the screening. Junket reporters, local press, and members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association were at the IMAX at the AMC at Citywalk to see the film. A strict no-guest policy with wristbands were issued for entrance. The movie started promptly at 7 PM. But at about 8:15 PM, as a new reel began, the dialogue between Christian Bale and Michael Caine was clearly out of sync – with a full 5- to 10-second lip-flap after lines were spoken. After a few minutes the crowd shouted for a projectionist. The movie was stopped and the lights went up. A 40-year employee of IMAX said that this has never ever happened to him before. After 20 minutes the man came out again and said the sync computer had failed and could not be rebooted. A computer is now being taken out of IMAX headquarters in West Los Angeles and installed in the AMC Universal location overnight. Reporters were asked to return to the same theater Saturday at 8 AM to see the film. Warner Bros reps asked that everyone see the movie in its entirety and not just from where it left off.”
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