Large Format 7OMM Engagements

ORIGINAL 70MM ENGAGEMENTS

• “Airport”
• “Baraka”
• “Battle of the Bulge”
• “Ben-Hur”
• “The Big Fisherman”
• “The Black Cauldron”
• “Black Tights”
• “Can-Can”
• “Cheyenne Autumn”
• “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”
“Circus World”
• “Cleopatra”
• “Custer of the West”
• “Dersu Uzala”
• “Doctor Dolittle”
• “Far and Away”
• “Grand Prix”
• “The Greatest Story Ever Told”

• “The Hallelujah Trail”

• “Hamlet”
• “How the West Was Won”
• “Ice Station Zebra”

• “Khartoum”
• “The Last Valley”
• “Lawrence of Arabia"
• “Lord Jim”
• "It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World"
• “Mackenna’s Gold”
• “Mutiny on the Bounty”

• “Nights and Days”

• “PlayTime”
• “Porgy and Bess”

• “Sleeping Beauty”
• “Solomon and Sheba”
• “Song of Norway”
• “STAR!”

• “This Is Cinerama”
• “This is Cinerama” (70mm)
• “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines”
• "Tron"

• “Zulu”

1952

“This Is Cinerama”
By Mike Coate
This list consists only of first-run, reserved-seat engagements. Not included in the list are return engagements, mobile presentations, drive-in engagements, the 70mm single-panel re-release engagements, and contemporary screenings.

1955

"Oklahoma"
By David Coles
For ten years, since the musical play "Oklahoma!" opened in New York City, March 31, 1943, the major movie companies made overtures to Rodgers and Hammerstein for the movie right of "Oklahoma!" Nothing happened until one day when both Dick and Oscar were invited to see test shots of the Todd-AO process. Then it became obvious that the movies were ready for "Oklahoma!"

1956

"Around the World in 80 Days"
By David Coles
"Do not refer to Around the World in 80 Days as a movie. It's not a movie. Movies are something you can see in your neighbourhood theatre and eat popcorn while you're watching them....Show Around the World in 80 Days almost exactly as you would present a Broadway show in your theatre." Mike Todd

1958

"South Pacific"
By David Coles
South Pacific is a 1958 American romantic musical film based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, which in turn based on James A. Michener's short-story collection Tales of the South Pacific. The film, directed by Joshua Logan, starred Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr and Ray Walston in the leading roles with Juanita Hall as Bloody Mary, the part that she had played in the original stage production. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, winning the Academy Award for Best Sound for Fred Hynes.

1959

“Ben-Hur”
By Mike Coate
Commemorating the golden anniversary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s 1959 production of “Ben-Hur”

• Go to “The Big Fisherman”: The North American 70mm Engagements

• Go to “Porgy and Bess”: The North American Roadshow and 70mm Engagements

• Go to “Sleeping Beauty”

“Solomon and Sheba”
By Mike Coate
70-millimeter presentations of “Solomon and Sheba” in North America. The film’s 70mm prints consisted of full-frame imagery derived from Super Technirama photography and featured discrete six-channel stereophonic sound. These were arguably the best cinemas in which to experience this film.

1960

• Go to “Can-Can”

1962

• Go to “Black Tights”: The North American 70mm Engagements

“How the West Was Won”
By Mike Coate
This list consists only of first-run, reserved-seat engagements. Not included in the list are return engagements, mobile presentations, drive-in engagements, the 70mm single-panel re-release engagements, and contemporary screenings.

• Go to “Mutiny on the Bounty”: The North American Roadshow and 70mm Engagements

1963

• Go to “Cleopatra”

"It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World"
By Mike Coate
Here is a list of the original roadshow runs of Stanley Kramer’s epic large-format comedy "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World".

1964

• Go to “Circus World”

• Go to “Cheyenne Autumn”

• Go to “Zulu”: The North American 70mm Engagements

1965

• Go to “Battle of the Bulge”

• Go to “The Greatest Story Ever Told”

• Go to “The Hallelujah Trail”

• Go to “Lord Jim”

• Go to “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines”

1966

• Go to “Grand Prix”

• Go to “Khartoum”

1967

“Custer of the West”
By Mike Coate
A historical listing of the roadshow engagements of “Custer of the West” in North America. These presentations utilized 70mm prints derived from Super Technirama photography and were projected onto large, deeply-curved screens and featured discrete six-track stereophonic sound. The seating was reserved at advanced prices with an average of ten scheduled screenings per week. The cinemas in which these special presentations played also sold souvenir programs.

• Go to “Doctor Dolittle”

• Go to “Playtime”: The North American 70mm Engagements

1968

• Go to “Ice Station Zebra”: The North American Roadshow and 70mm Engagements

• Go to “STAR!”: The North American Roadshow and 70mm Engagements

1968: A Roadshow Odyssey
By Mike Coate
“2001: A Space Odyssey” had its world premiere on 2 April 1968 at the Uptown Theatre in Washington, D.C. The critically acclaimed film had what is believed to have been a record number of 70-millimeter wide gauge prints made for a film during the roadshow era.

"2001" Openings
By Mike Coate
Original 1968/69 reserved seat engagements of “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Each was a 70mm six-track stereophonic sound presentation, with most having been promoted as a “Cinerama” presentation.

1969

• Go to “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”

• Go to “Krakatoa, East of Java”

• Go to “Mackenna’s Gold”

1970

• Go to “Airport”: The North American 70mm Engagements

• Go to “Song of Norway”

1971

“The Last Valley”
By Mike Coate
“The Last Valley” was among four confirmed first-run films released in 1971 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. The ABC/Cinerama release was directed by James Clavell and starred Michael Caine and Omar Sharif. These were continuous performance, general release bookings (i.e. not roadshow…although roadshow style program booklets were made available).

1973

• Go to “This is Cinerama” 70mm engagements
• Go to “This Is Cinerama” Cinerama engagements

1975

• Go to “Nights and Days”: The North American 70mm Presentations

1976

• Go to “Dersu Uzala”: The North American 70mm Engagements

1982

• Go to "Tron"

1983

"Brainstorm"
By Mike Coate
Twenty-five years ago, “Brainstorm”, was released to movie theatres. Though the film was not a box-office success, it is remembered for its effective large-frame cinematography and sound design.

“Brainstorm”

1985

• Go to “The Black Cauldron”
• Go to Super Technirama 70

1988

“Lawrence of Arabia: The Director’s Cut”
By Mike Coate
The “Lawrence of Arabia” re-release was among eighteen confirmed first-run films (and two re-issues) released in 1989 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. The Sam Spiegel production and Columbia release was directed by David Lean and starred Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness and Omar Sharif.

1992

• Go to “Baraka”: The North American 70mm Engagements

“Far and Away”s
By Mike Coate
“Far and Away” was among ten confirmed first-run films released in 1992 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. One-hundred sixty-three 70mm prints of the film were reportedly struck for distribution in North America, which places it among the industry’s ten-highest large-format print orders in history and the highest in Universal Studios’ history.

1996