IMAX NEWS

If you haven't got a ticket to the Avatar Preview Event being held this afteroon at 5pm, where 15 minutes of footage will be screened in IMAX 3D, here's the next best thing for now - Watch the Avatar trailer online.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer.

Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. More than ten years in the making, Avatar marks Cameron's return to feature directing since helming 1997's Titanic, the highest grossing film of all time and winner of eleven Oscars® including Best Picture. WETA Digital, renowned for its work in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong, will incorporate new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.

Tonight's 9pm session - Tuesday 18 August - is the very last screening of the blockbuster film Transformers 2 here at IMAX in Darling Harbour. Nearly 40,000 people have seen a full-scale Megatron tower above them 8 storeys high during its two month season. Tickets are still available, so CLICK HERE to secure your seat to farewell the bots in all their giant-screen glory.

COMING SOON TO IMAX
There are some exciting blockbuster feature films just around the corner, so watch out for news about "A Christmas Carol 3D" in November and "Avatar 3D" in December. If you like the mix up your big screen viewing with classic IMAX fare, check out "Dinosaurs Alive! 3D" in September and "Journey to Mecca" in October. Next year, we look forward to "Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D" with nine time world surfing champion Kelly Slater riding some of the biggest waves on the planet, all filmed in IMAX 3D.

On August 21, fans have the chance to experience a sneak preview of 15 mins of footage from James Cameron's film AVATAR in IMAX 3D - on the World’s Biggest Cinema Screen! With thanks to 20th Century Fox, the LG IMAX Theatre Sydney will take part in the global “Avatar Preview Event" at which the world will have its first theatrical look at 3D footage from the film.

IMAX in Darling Harbour has 75 DOUBLE PASSES to give away to a screening featuring 15 minutes of Avatar footage in IMAX 3D.

Date: Friday 21 August 2009
Time: 5.00pm (arrive 4.30pm)
Location: LG IMAX Theatre Sydney
31 Wheat Rd Darling Harbour

“There is a place like no place on Earth… a land full of wonder, mystery and danger. Some say to survive it, you need to be mad as a hatter. Which, luckily, I am.”

Johnny Depp's words echo against a backdrop of lavishly costumed characters and fantasy landsapes in this new Tim Burton film - Alice in Wonderland 3D - due out in March 2010. In a departure from many other Alice adaptations, director Tim Burton has confirmed that the film will feature elements from both "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" in a story based on Alice's returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting her with childhood friends: The White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, The Dormouse, The Caterpillar, The Cheshire Cat, and of course, The Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end The Red Queen's reign of terror.

Were you one of the 700 people who attended the Teacher Previews for EGYPT 3D: Secrets of the Mummies?

Teacher previews allow educators an opportunity to experience films before they are released to the public, to assess their educational content and draw links with curriculum areas and other potential excursion venues. As a bonus with our previews for the new film Egypt 3D: Secrets of the Mummies, teachers had the opportunity to bring along 3 friends or family members – FREE! Thanks to all those who attended our recent screenings and extra special thanks to those who completed the online survey afterwards.

Congratulations to all entrants in our Harry Potter photo awards for their outstanding costume efforts. We were particularly impressed with the efforts of Aitak Salempour who sent us the winning picture of the Golden Snitch with Dumbledore. Aitak has won an IMAX Gift Pack plus a screening for 10 people at the Theatre. The costume featured in the winning photograph was a spectacular gold sequinned ball that couldn't be mistaken for anything other than the Golden Snitch. We didn't know Dumbledore was a Quidditch player but he certainly has a firm grip on that Snitch!

Harry Potter fans were out in force last night for the opening of the latest EXPLOSIVE instalment of the Hogwarts series here at IMAX in Darling Harbour. We heard great stories about the crazy costumes people came wearing to the midnight showing: Harry Potter himself was a popular character, along with Ron, Hermoine and Luna - but can you believe that some people came dressed as the elusive Golden Snitch, Hagrid's horrid spider Aragog and even the Hogwarts Express itself!

WERE YOU DRESSED UP? DID YOU TAKE PHOTOS AT THE THEATRE? WE WANT TO PUBLISH YOUR GREAT PICTURES ON OUR WEBSITE BLOG!

Just when you thought things couldn't get any better in Darling Harbour - with both Transformers 2 and Harry Potter screening at your favourite IMAX Theatre - it looks like the next year's lineup will be even more impressive. Hold on to your seats... put on those 3D glasses... and get ready for our biggest blockbuster season yet!

A Christmas Carol 3D - Starts 5 November 2009
Disney's A Christmas Carol, this year's spectacular 3D holiday release from director Robert Zemeckis and starring Jim Carrey, will be the first film from The Walt Disney Studios slated for IMAX theatres under a new five-picture arrangement the studio reached with IMAX Corporation. Robert Zemeckis' takes the art of performance capture to the next level in this multi-sensory 3D film, capturing the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale. Ebeneezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (Gary Oldman), and his cheery nephew (Colin Firth). But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come (all played by Carrey) take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it's too late.

Starting on November 5 this year is the feature film adaptation of A Christmas Carol in IMAX 3D. The film is based on the classic Charles Dickens tale about an old miser who must face Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-to-Come, as they help to bring kindness to his otherwise cold heart. The Ghosts remind him of the man he used to be, the hard truth of what the world is today, and what will happen if he does not strive to be a better man. Set around Christmas, the most joyous day of the year, Scrooge realizes the sharp contrast of his own personality.

As the end of Term approaches we are finalising the line-up of new titles available for schools in the next six months, including a 3D version of Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs; a brand new dinosaur film called Dinosaurs Alive! 3D; and Journey to Mecca, which proved extremely popular at our evaluation screenings held in May. In addition to these documentary titles, we will also be releasing A Christmas Carol 3D, based on the classic Dickens story and featuring the latest "motion capture" film technology (remember The Polar Express 3D?) with actor Jim Carrey playing four different characters. End of year bookings are available now for this highly-anticipated 3D feature film.