Is day-and-date home viewing coming with IMAX Private Theatre

As part of a broader strategy to expand The IMAX Experience for direct home viewing, IMAX today announced that it has acquired a significant stake in the company PRIMA Cinema, whose proprietary systems transmit current theatrical releases from major Hollywood studios like Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures, in a highly encrypted, location-sensitive fashion for secure home viewing.

IMAX plans to integrate the PRIMA Cinema technology into their IMAX Private Theatre and other potential platforms, enhancing the image and sound of the content through its digital re-mastering (IMAX DMR) process, which enables IMAX customers to access current theatrical releases of the highest possible quality. As part of the agreement, IMAX will receive a five-year window of exclusivity to distribute and resell PRIMA systems in China.

“Today’s agreement with PRIMA Cinema enhances our ability to deliver a premium, end-to-end in-home entertainment experience, combining the best of IMAX’s immersive image and sound technology with the delivery of current theatrical titles,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. “In addition to using PRIMA Cinema in our IMAX Private Theatre systems, we are also exploring ways to integrate IMAX’s proprietary technology and PRIMA Cinema’s delivery system into other premium in-home applications.”

“PRIMA Cinema is incredibly proud to partner with IMAX and introduce a new level of innovation in the digital entertainment industry,” said Jason Pang, PRIMA Cinema Founder and CEO. “We’ve set a high bar in terms of security and quality with our current PRIMA Cinema system. Complementing the IMAX Private Theater raises it to new heights and creates an entirely new digital outlet for the film industry.”

According to their press release, IMAX has leveraged 40 years of cutting-edge, proprietary and patented technology and architecture to custom-design a new premium home offering that is multi-sensory, immersive and visceral.

IMAX is currently running a beta program on the IMAX Private Theatre website, offering select users the opportunity to be among the first this immersive home entertainment experience. The systems are custom-designed to IMAX specifications with 2D and 3D images. The company designs every aspect of the ‘Private Theatre’ – from the projection and sound technology to the room acoustics and theatre geometry – to work as a fully integrated solution that’s optimized for each home installation.

IMAX’s team of specialists work directly with a homeowner’s architects, developers, interior designers and custom installers to ensure everything is built to IMAX’s exacting performance standards. The systems also feature around the clock monitoring, predictive maintenance, performance tuning and on-the-ground support.