While screens grow and begin curving and even offer resolutions that could take in an entire constellation, what they truly cannot deliver is a cinematic experience. And there is nothing they can do about it. This is because this experience is all about going to the movies, stepping out of home, seating yourself on a red-velvety chair, and losing yourself in the magic of movies, in the company of strangers. While the provisioning of strangers is too much to ask for, IMAX is gearing up to offer users something very similar to a private theater experience at home.
The entry-level offering under this range is the Palais, which starts at $400,000. With this, you get a screening room with up to 18 seats, dual 4k 2D/3D projectors, a proprietary IMAX sound system, and a sophisticated system that plays everything from Blu-ray movies to video games. The screen sizes will be dependent on the structure of the room, while the projectors are bound to be high-end ones, most likely, not IMAX exclusives.
The higher variant to the Palais is the Platinum IMAX home theater. It costs $1 million and can accommodate 40 people. The company is also retailing a separate $10,000 box that enables users to watch movies as they are released. It’s called Home Premier, which is reminiscent of the famed Prima service.
China will be the launchpad for this service. The country will have two showrooms for the same installed, while the US will receive three showrooms.
