Guillermo del Toro’s new version of Frankenstein is heading to IMAX, but audiences hoping for a wide rollout will be disappointed. IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond confirmed at the Axios Media Live conference in New York that the film will debut on the giant format this fall, but only at “a small number of locations.” What he did not reveal was how small that number really is.
According to industry reporting, Frankenstein will open on just 10 IMAX screens nationwide. This marks one of the rarest distribution choices for a Netflix film, considering IMAX almost never screens titles originally planned as streaming releases. Only Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia, which many expect will be a disaster, has been granted similar IMAX treatment for next fall. With AMC continuing its boycott of Netflix films, viewers should not expect to see del Toro’s movie appearing at the country’s largest theater chain either.
“It really is a theatrical movie,” Gelfond said while explaining why the pairing makes sense. “You know, Frankenstein and IMAX is great synergy. He’s big. IMAX is big, loud.” He noted the limited IMAX run will begin within weeks.
The adaptation stars Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac and first screened at the Venice Film Festival last month. It received a 14-minute standing ovation and good critical response there, though reviews were stronger at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it placed second in People’s Choice voting. Netflix will give the movie a short theatrical run beginning October 17 before it lands on the streaming service November 7.
For those who want to see del Toro’s gothic interpretation on the largest screen possible, time and geography will be the deciding factors. With roughly 10 IMAX screens available nationwide, most audiences will miss the chance to watch this Frankenstein in its intended format unless they can travel quickly to one of those select theaters.
***
Thomas Lifson
Thomas Lifson, editor and publisher, calls himself a recovering academic. After graduating from Kenyon College, he studied modern Japan, sociology, and business as a graduate student at Harvard (three degrees) and joined the faculty at Harvard Business School, where he began the consulting career that was to lead him away from academia. He also taught sociology and East Asian studies at Harvard and held visiting professorships at Columbia University and the Japanese National Museum of Ethnology. As a consultant, he has worked with major companies from the United States, Japan, Europe, Asia, and Australasia at the nexus of human, organizational, and strategic issues. A Democrat by birth, Thomas became more conservative in adulthood as reality taught him that dreams of perfecting human society always run smack into human nature. In 2003 he founded American Thinker.
English (US) · 