Screening of ‘Oppenheimer’ leaves Calgarians in the dust

Oppenheimer filmmaker Christopher Nolan suggests the movie be seen on an IMAX screen in 70mm film, but some Calgarians were disappointed with the 6 p.m. screening Thursday after the theatre ran into issues showing the movie.

Calgary’s Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre Chinook is one of 30 theatres in the world offering that format.

The film about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who oversaw the development of the first atomic bomb during World War II, was shot with some of the “highest resolution film cameras that exist.”

Oppenheimer was filmed on large format film stock, meaning a combination of IMAX 65mm and Panavision 65mm that’s then projected in 70mm.

The IMAX film resolution is nearly 10 times more than a 35mm projector, and each frame has some 18,000 pixels of resolution versus a home HD screen with 1,920 pixels.

The 70mm film is 17 kilometres long and weighs 600 pounds.

However, Calgary’s theatre says it is having technical issues projecting the film.

Many who went to see the movie Thursday made posts on Reddit saying the audio wasn’t synching properly.

PSA: Oppenheimer 70mm IMAX at Chinook not running in film tonight
byu/themagnificen7 inCalgary

A Reddit post includes a photo of a sign posted on a door that says, “Due to technical difficulties with the 70mm print of Oppenheimer, the 10 p.m. showing of Oppenheimer will be on digital instead of film.”

“I’m devastated, obviously, and I’m not alone. One of only about 30 cinemas in the world that can show it in the intended format,” said the person who posted the Reddit.

“It’s an apparent audio sync issue. They aren’t sure when it will be running again.”

They asked if anyone attended the 6 p.m. show, and responses poured in, with many people noting the frustration and anger felt by the audience.

“Was at the 6 p.m. screening. Half the people in the audience didn’t even know it was on film and were yelling for a “restart” to the movie. It was obvious right away that there was a problem, as the audio wasn’t synced, sounded pitched down, and they were stopping and starting the audio trying to get it to sync,” said one person, in response.

“People went ballistic, and the managers did their best, particularly trying to explain physical film projection to people who really didn’t care.”

In addition, they noted it was economical as they walked away with double passes.

Calgarians on Twitter also expressed their frustration with the situation.

@CineplexMovies #Oppenheimer ruined for us in IMAX in #calgary Sound cutting out and no one can restart it! Mega-Fans that went to the first show get shafted! and Now we stand in the longest line for refunds! #scotiabanktheatre #sucks #refundsarentenough

— Sarah Wong (@SarahJaneWong) July 21, 2023

“@Cineplex #Oppenheimer ruined for us in IMAX #calgary,” reads a tweet from Sarah Wong.

“Sound cutting out, and no one can restart it!”

“Mega-Fans that went to the first show get shafted! and Now we stand in the longest line for refunds.”

User FireOnIce says they came back from Calgary to watch the 70mm film and shot a clip of the movie before it shut down.

Came back to Calgary to watch Oppenheimer on IMAX 70mm. This is the shit they were showing at the Scotiabank Theater Chinook. @Cineplex pic.twitter.com/9s2mNbya1a

— FireOnIce (@MaSc_17) July 21, 2023

Meanwhile, Mike Gould told CityNews he got tickets a month in advance for both himself and his dad, and they were sitting pretty far back in the theatre.

He says there weren’t any trailers due to the length of the film and that the movie started right at 6 p.m.

“At first, it was sort of difficult to discern whether there was going to be any lasting problems. I think the sound just cut out once and then it came back,” Gould told CityNews.

“You weren’t necessarily sure that it was maybe an effect of the movie, but it kept going on and on for about 10 minutes until people really finally realized, ‘no, there’s something truly wrong here.’ It was bizarre.”

He says the sound would cut out for about 10 to 20 seconds at a time, and then it would come back on, adding that lead actor Cillian Murphy was speaking in a very low and slow speech pattern, “like a record that was on the wrong speed.”

“Then the sound would cut out again, and it would come on, and it wasn’t in sync properly,” Gould explained.

“It was like a scene out of Singing in the Rain where the characters are talking, and it’s not lining up with their mouths — almost in a comical effect. So it was very strange.”

Gould says everybody ended up leaving because the theatre could not salvage the film.

Kenny Sage, another moviegoer, spoke with CityNews about his experience and how the crowd called for restarts or walked out altogether.

He says once the sound started cutting in and out, people started shouting, “Start it over” repeatedly until the audience was told the film was too big to stop, and Cineplex was working to try and fix it.

“Then around, I think, about 18 minutes, the sound just kind of went out completely, and [Cineplex] told us that the whole screening was a loss.”

When asked about the experience, Sage says there was a lot of anger and that many people had walked out of the theatre, but he ended up watching a digital version shortly after.

“My desire to see the movie was bigger than my desire to see it in IMAX,” Sage said.

Moviegoers were told to wait in guest services to receive a refund or to call guest services, which is what Gould and his dad did. Sage says he hasn’t called yet because the “phone lines are really long.”

“I did feel bad for the theatre employees who had to deal with the problems and just all the hostility,” Sage said.

Gould says the reason to go to the 70mm screening is that the director advertised it as an “experience that’s so authentic you can’t get it at home.”

“A digital projection on a huge screen, I think, is something that is extremely impressive,” he explained. “But at the end of the day, any movie you watch on your TV at home, that’s digital too, and to be able to see something being projected on film, the resolution, when it’s done properly, it’s just unbelievable.”

“I think it’s just a case … it was advertised as being a 70mm experience. and it didn’t end up being as it was advertised,” Gould said.

While Gould and Sage noted the appeal of watching a 70mm film, the two expressed a desire to try again and watch the film at a later date.

“By the time that we’re able to get tickets again, which will probably not be until late next week with the way that the screenings are being sold out now. Hopefully, it all works by then,” Gould said.

Cineplex says issues may ‘interrupt showings’

In an email to CityNews, Cineplex says Oppenheimer 70mm films shown by its theatres are facilitated by “independent third party experts” stationed in its theatres. However, the theatre is still down for the count.

“We are currently working directly with our partners to rectify a small number of issues,” the email reads.

“Due to the nature of movie presentations, both digital and film, issues occur that may interrupt showings.

“Across the country, yesterday we welcomed over 195,000 guests into our theatres to enjoy a film on the big screen.”

Cineplex says all showings at Chinook will be screened digitally while it works to repair the film projector.

Calgary wasn’t the only theatre to experience issues. A theatre in Vaughn near Toronto experienced an abrupt halt with 40 minutes remaining, while one in Toronto was also slowed up.

-With files from The Associated Press and Jonathan Muma