IMAX fans are in for a cinematic celebration.
The Museum of Discovery & Science in Fort Lauderdale will unveil a $1.5 million laser technology and sound system on Friday in its AutoNation IMAX 3D Theater. Officials say dual 4K laser projectors will provide brighter images and more intense colors. The theater now also has 114 speakers, up from 52, and an increased wattage of 52,000, from 32,000.
“The detail just really pops,” said Marlene Janetos, the museum’s vice president of visitor services, marketing and communications. “The whole experience is heightened to a level that makes you feel you’re in the screen rather than watching it.”
The museum’s IMAX theater is one of 10 nationwide — and the first in Florida — with the new technology, Janetos said. The 294-seat theater and its 60-by-80-foot screen have been closed throughout September for the renovations.
Patrons who watch 3D movies in the theater will be getting new glasses to enhance the experience, Janetos said.
The theater upgrades are part of a $34 million capital campaign that helped fund the museum’s EcoDiscovery Center. Work is beginning on a 27,000-square-foot science park and renovations of the 24-year-old museum building.
Aside from AutoNation, major donors to the campaign included Broward County, the city of Fort Lauderdale, City Furniture, JM Family Enterprises and Fort Lauderdale resident Rose Miniaci, according to the museum.
The first major motion picture to be shown on the new laser system will be “Deepwater Horizon” at 2:55 p.m. Friday. The first two documentaries, both in 3D, will be “Beautiful Planet” at 10 a.m. and “National Parks Adventure” at 11:30 a.m.
Even with the renovations, prices will remain the same, Janetos said.
Tickets for major motion pictures are $15 for adults and seniors, and $12 for military personnel and children ages 2-12. Documentaries cost $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $7 for military personnel and children.
The museum this week let workers watch a 7-minute demonstration of the new lasers and sound system.
Michael Aguinaga, public programs manager and 16-year museum employee, wonders how he’ll get by watching another movie that isn’t on a laser projector.
“It wasn’t good — it was extraordinary,” he said. “To say it was mind-blowing is underselling it, to be honest.”
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