Brief IMAX run for The Martian looks to take the most beautiful movie of the year to 11

By Rick Marshall Published October 22, 2015

The news just keeps getting better for The Martian. With the film earning rave reviews from critics and audiences (and an impressive box office to accompany those reviews), Ridley Scott’s sci-fi drama is now headed to an even bigger screen for a brief IMAX 3D run in select theaters.

The plan to bring The Martian to the larger-format screens was announced this week by IMAX and 20th Century Fox.

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“With unprecedented demand from exhibition to put this film on IMAX screens, we are excited to offer audiences the opportunity to see The Martian in these venues,” said Chris Aronson, President of Domestic Distribution for Twentieth Century Fox, in a statement accompanying the announcement.

The film’s one-week IMAX 3D run in the U.S. will kick off October 30, and subsequent IMAX 3D screenings will also happen internationally — particularly in China and other regions where IMAX 3D screenings have done well.

Scott’s film is based on Andy Weir’s novel of the same name that was first published in 2011 and tells the story of astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon in the film), who is left stranded on Mars after a freak storm forces the rest of his crew to abandon the planet. Watney must use his mechanical savvy, his knowledge of botany, and the technology available to him on the planet’s surface — along with his will to survive — in order to find a way to signal Earth and hopefully live long enough to be rescued.

Damon’s performance and Scott’s visionary cinematic treatment of the film have been heralded by critics, and the film’s use of 3D has also received rave reviews. All of this positivity has led many to believe The Martian will receive more than a few nominations in the upcoming Academy Awards.

“With great word-of-mouth and box-office success, audiences worldwide have clearly responded to The Martian in a visceral way,” said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President for IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. “Together with our partners at Fox, along with master filmmaker Ridley Scott, we are excited to bring The Martian to IMAX fans around the world for this special IMAX 3D engagement.”

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