Several Merced moviegoers who happened to visit downtown’s Regal Hollywood Cinema on July 4 received a special holiday surprise.
On Independence Day the theater opened the doors to its new IMAX screen, after spending about two months making upgrades at the existing building at 403 W. Main St.
Ali Anwar, construction manager for Regal Cinemas, told The Merced FOCUS that crews finished work on the building nearly two weeks earlier than expected. Back in May, the company had anticipated a completion date of July 19.
Michael Garcia, manager of Regal Hollywood, said the theater had a soft launch on July 4 showing “Despicable Me 4.”
The first IMAX show was an early matinee, and the staff handed out special lanyards to celebrate. “The first show, we had people that didn’t expect it to be open, and they moved their tickets from a regular screening to that one,” Garcia said.
“(The audience members) were just like ‘wow, this is really amazing.’ They were pretty surprised and happy to have a new kind of movie experience here.”
IMAX theaters use massive screens and special projectors to create a high resolution visual experience for audiences. Ticket prices for the enhanced experience are about $6.50 above the cost of a normal ticket.
The screen in Merced is 25 feet tall and 46 feet wide, with laser techology that includes next generation images, projection and a immersive sound system.
“It’s a laser projecter, so the screen is a lot more crisp, the colors are deeper and richer. You get a much bigger image on this one than our standard projecters,” Garcia said.
“When an IMAX film is playing here, it projects all the way to the ground. Everywhere you look the screen is filling up your vision essentially.”
There are also screen shakers, which reverbrate behind the screeen to amplify images and reclining comfort seats. Garcia said the audio is top-notch and IMAX certified, with big sub-woofers behind the screen and more.
“The surround sound is really cool. You’ll pick up more detailed sounds that you wouldn’t hear before.”
The IMAX theater has around 150 seats, many of which have trays that swivel in and out. The asiles are much wider than a typical theater, and the seats are larger and less cramped, creating a comfortable viewing experience.
Another option for Valley moviegoers
Prior to this month, folks in Merced and other Valley communities had to travel to either Riverbank or Fresno if they wanted to see big budget releases on an IMAX screen.
And there are some big releases on the way. The storm chaser fanatic film “Twisters” will premiere at the theater later this month, followed by Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Garcia said the response from the community has been very positive so far. “There’s a lot of suprise that it’s already open,” he said. “There’s a lot of happiness that we have something new in Merced.”
But do the seats recline?