Wicked was a phenomenon as a musical on stage, and the long-awaited movie, starring Cynthia Erivo and Arian Grande, has also had an impressive $114m opening in the USA, outpacing Les Miserables, which opened with $103 million in 2012. If you are already a die-hard fan you will probably have been one of those that contributed to that figure, but if you haven’t seen it, or want to see it again, the question is, which premium format (or should that be “witch” format?) should you see it in – especially as theaters will now have had a chance to turn up the volume.
The default for most people will be regular 2D, but what you might not realize is that not all theaters are equal. While virtually all cinema screens these days are digital most of these use projectors with lamps, which lose brightness over time, and unless the cinema has, literally, changed the bulb, the picture will be dim.
This is especially a problem for 3D, and, bucking recent trends, Wicked is a movie that is being shown in stereoscopic in some locations. Rather than just swapping out the bulbs, many locations are now switching over their old digital projectors to laser models, (predominantly from Barco), which has the benefits of offering brighter, sharper, images, with richer colors. They also don’t lose brightness and offer 4K resolution. So, if you’re going for a regular 2D screen, it’s worth hunting out one with a laser projector – and this is especially true if you’re going for 3D. If the 3D showing doesn’t also indicate laser projection, (Regal and AMC do this) I’d avoid it and stick to 2D instead.
In the UK, Cineworld is not offering standalone ReadD3D showings, but the 4DX version is in 3D. This means that your body will get as visceral a workout as your eyes, thanks to motion-synced seat movement, air, water, smoke, and flashing lights. However, I’ve consistently found that while all the effort at 4DX screens goes into the physical experience, not enough attention is paid to the image quality, with 2K Xenon lamps the norm. It could be fun for a second viewing, however.
Image quality-wise, IMAX does a better job at 3D, but the same caveat applies — it’s only worth it with laser projection. The point is likely moot at the time of writing, however, as IMAX 3D showings were limited to the opening weekend so that air balloon has sailed.
However, there is still a plethora of choices, not least of which is IMAX 2D. Wicked was shot on the now ubiquitous Arri Alexa 65 digital camera, with a 6.5K source and a 4K digital intermediate – but the entire thing is presented in ‘scope’, which in this case means 2.39:1. As such, it doesn’t take advantage of the taller, 1.90:1, IMAX digital screens. However, as the director Jon M. Chu says himself in the IMAX promo video, IMAX gives you, “a giant spectacle of epic, cinematic proportions, and of course IMAX gives you that canvas to experience that.” This is something I wouldn’t disagree with, especially if it’s a laser system and also has 12-channel sound to hear those incredible songs.
On the audio front then another great alternative are screens featuring Dolby Atmos, which offers the most precise positional available in cinema. You’ll find this is premium large formats (PLFs), which combine with extra-large screens, a 4K digital laser projector, and good seats. In the USA, Regal offers this under its ‘RPX’ brand, and AMC as ‘Prime’ and in the UK, Odeon iSense and Cineworld Superscreen.
While it seems a shame then that Wicked hasn’t received a full HDR grade so it can be shown in PLFs that have the new HDR by Barco system. That’s said there has been criticism of the lacklustre cinematography and color grading, so perhaps it would have been wasted – and there are only six HDR by Barco locations at the time of writing. Whether these issues are down to an artistic choice, or a creative miss, I do hope it’s not because the movie was because of where the movie was made, which was on a sound stage only a few minutes’ walk from this writer’s house, as discussed in this amusing clip from a radio interview with one of the stars of the movie, Jonathan Bailey.
The arguable disappointing color issues means it also won’t take full advantage of the extended dynamic of the current mainstream color-richness and contrast king, Dolby Cinema. However, it will at least make the most of what it is on screen, and you’ll get the benefit of tremendous Dolby Atmos audio, and the always fabulous seats. As such, I’d go for this as my number one choice for Wicked, closely followed by IMAX with Laser (3D if you can still find one) and then 4DX, which will do it’s best to make you feel that you are defying gravity, to coin a phrase.
