Skip to main content

Warner Bros and IMAX partnering on VR theater experience, starting with Justice League

The next time you go to an IMAX Experience Centre, you may come into virtual contact with a few superheroes. IMAX and Warner Bros Pictures announced Tuesday that the two companies are partnering on a three-year plan to release one virtual reality experience each year based on Warner Bros films, starting with this year’s Justice League.

The Justice League VR experience will be released later this year, presumably around the time of its November release. A VR experience is also planned for Aquaman, which is scheduled to be released in late 2018. There will also be a third virtual reality experience for an unknown project. Rumors have been circulating about Warner Bros releasing the stand-alone Batman film we keep hearing about in 2019, the final year of the IMAX-WB partnership.

The Justice League VR experience will initially be exclusive to the new IMAX VR Experience Centre locations. IMAX debuted the first location in Los Angeles in January, and has plans to open at least five additional locations in New York City, California, the United Kingdom, and Shanghai in the next few months. When Digital Trends visited, the L.A. location was equipped with 14 VR pods, and HTC Vive and StarVR headsets, as well as accessories for you to move freely around in the real world while interacting with the virtual one. Subwoofer vests and a motion chair are a few of the amenities.

This is the first deal IMAX has made with a major movie studio to bring VR content to its multiplexes. The VR experiences will be available on mobile and at-home VR headsets following a short period of exclusivity at IMAX VR Experience Centre locations.

Editors' Recommendations

Keith Nelson Jr.
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Keith Nelson Jr is a music/tech journalist making big pictures by connecting dots. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY he…
What’s new on Disney+ in May 2024
Morgan Elsbeth in Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.

Welcome to the paradox of Disney+: It's the streaming service with blockbuster brands and an incredibly shrinking lineup of original programing. There's no better example of this than Disney+'s lineup for May. Marvel and Star Wars fans have a lot to be excited about with the series finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the three-part season finale of X-Men '97, and the premiere of Star Wars: Tales of the Empire streaming during the month. There's even a new season of Doctor Who coming on May 10, as well as Pixar's Monsters At Work season 2 on May 5.

Beyond that, music lovers get to look forward to documentaries about The Beatles, Queen, and The Beach Boys, while The Muppets creator Jim Henson gets a documentary of his own. All of that sounds great until you realize that everything we listed above accounts for roughly 94% of Disney+'s original content for the entire month of May. So, where's the rest of it? As much as we love dessert, there's no main course here. And June doesn't have a hot Marvel show to fall back on, which means summer may look pretty barren in the House of Mouse.

Read more
The best shows on Hulu right now (May 2024)
A man stands behind an old projector, his mouth agape and hand raised in a scene from UFO Factory on Hulu.

There's so much available to stream on Hulu that you might find it tough to choose. There are numerous Emmy-winning shows like The Bear and Dopesick, exciting network procedurals like Will Trent, and compelling new shows like Shōgun and We Were the Lucky Ones. No matter what you're in the mood to watch, you'll be able to find a quality show on Hulu.

When it comes down to decision time, however, narrowing down your watch list from all the available options can be tough. We have put together this list of the best shows on Hulu right now, and keep it consistently fresh so you'll always find something new. If you're looking for that show you forgot about but were meaning to watch, chances are if it's a thrilling drama or a hilarious comedy worth watching, we have it included here. Have a look and find a few shows to add to your watch queue.

Read more
What’s new on Netflix and what’s leaving in May 2024
Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan as Colin and Penelope looking at each other in Bridgerton.

Netflix has generally weathered the aftermath of the 2023 Hollywood strikes better than its streaming rivals. However, Netflix's lineup in May looks significantly weaker than in the recent past. There's a distinct lack of blockbuster movies from other studios. Even Netflix's original series are slowing down this month. The most significant arrival is Bridgerton season 3, and Netflix is splitting that season into two parts, making fans wait until June to get some closure.

There are other highlights, including Jerry Seinfeld's Unfrosted, Blood of Zeus, and the complete run of the animated spy comedy Archer. But compared to the shows and movies that Netflix had earlier in 2024, it's really lackluster.

Read more