Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to Debut in IMAX 3-D

Only days before the final Harry Potter book hits the shelves, the fifth film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will bring the series to life on the silver screen. However, this time, fans won't just be watching the film in 2-D, but in 3-D.

While Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be shown in two formats, both standard and IMAX, the IMAX showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will feature an ending that has been transferred to 3-D film. For those who haven't read the book, the ending of Phoenix features a battle set within the fabled Ministry of Magic.

For those who have never seen a film that has been filmed in standard format and then transferred to 3-D format, what can one expect? First, what you see is what you get. With 3-D film that has been transferred from its original format instead of filmed exclusively for the format, you don't get quite the same 3-D effect. While the film does seem to have a dimensional aspect to it that makes it almost hologram-like, filling the screen and almost running off the edges, it doesn't have quite the punch of a film that has been filmed for the format. For example, at the Walt Disney World and Disneyland resorts, you can see many films that have been filmed exclusively for the format. This gives the film a true "out-of-the-box" feeling and allows viewers to feel as if objects, people and events are actually occurring outside of the screen and within the theater with them.

Some Potter film fans worry that finalizing the film in 3-D format will detract from the action on screen, specifically when it comes to the climax of the film.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will debut in U.S. theaters on July 13 in both standard and IMAX formats. The finally book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, will hit book shelves on July 21.

SOURCE: PR Newswire: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-19-2007/0004569017&EDATE=