Update: Variety tweets: "Reports of IMAX 3D conversion for MAN OF STEEL = false. WB says IMAX blog post was in error. No decision made." Although, that does the beg the question of why IMAX built a web page for the announcement if no decision has been made…perhaps the cat was out of the bag a bit early? Guess we'll find out soon enough.
Even though Christopher Nolan — advocate for film stock over digital and IMAX over 3D — can present his own movies however he wants, even if Warner Bros. would've loved some extra three dimension coin from "The Dark Knight Rises," that power doesn't seem to extend to movies he executive produces. As the campaign for "The Dark Knight Rises" ends you can bet that marketing for Zack Snyder's "Man Of Steel" (which Nolan is executive producing) will start ramping up in a big way (it's pretty much a no brainer that a teaser will be attached to TDKR), and one of the first bits of info is the movie is going to be put through the conversion machine.
The official IMAX site posted — and then very promptly removed — an announcement for "Man Of Steel: An IMAX 3D Experience." As the movie was neither shot in 3D nor IMAX, this is a pure conversion job all the way. Of course, the reason this is all happening is pretty transparent: money. 3D ticket sales boost box office, so it's a no brainer. But if you're lining up at the multiplex next summer, you can probably save yourself a few bucks and just go see the 2D release and avoid the hassle of the wearing those chunky glasses, watching a movie projected at a fraction of the brightness and dealing with a movie in 3D that wasn't intended for that format anyway. Here's the text of the since removed IMAX post:
In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Henry Cavill) is a young twenty-something journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond his imagination. Transported years ago to Earth from Krypton, a highly advanced, distant planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question 'Why am I here?' Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Diane Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner), Clark discovers having extraordinary abilities means making difficult decisions. When the world is in dire need of stability, an even greater threat emerges. Clark must become a Man of Steel, to protect the people he loves and shine as the world's beacon of hope – Superman.
The IMAX release of Man of Steel will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.
So is this a controversy? Eh, not really. To those who like their summer movies supersized a bit more, they'll be happy enough and for everyone else who knows better, just go see it in 2D. Although, it is interesting to note that Snyder was at one time testing a 3D conversion for "Sucker Punch" but ultimately chose not to go down that road out of a fear of rushing it out with "bad 3D." But the movie was unbelieveably terrible, so the format wouldn't have mattered. Co-starring Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Russell Crowe, Julia Ormond Harry Lennix and Christopher Meloni, "Man Of Steel" opens on June 14, 2013. [via ComicBookMovie]
