IMAX NASCAR

[FanofMario]

I just got back from attending a three day space camp with my 5th grade son in Huntsville, Alabama's Marshall Space Center. Great hands on activities were there for the kids along with a neat musuem and a historic rocket park to view. Packaged in the camp was two days of taking in two different IMAX movies. The first was an awesome film about the International Space Station that was narated by Tom Cruise. Just fanatastic photography! :thumbup: It was a fanatastic film that was shown to an half empty theater. It was on the last day we were subjected to the IMAX film NASCAR. For those of you who got to see the IMAX Super Speedway or own the DVD of Super Speedway, you will be glad to hear that the NASCAR version was weak. There was just not that usual IMAX feeel to the thing. Too many inserted clips of normal footage and not enough of the big film made this into a France family propaganda film. There was the usual homage paid to the intimadator and the like plus a laughable bit about the intense safety concerns of NASCAR. :rolleyes: As a race fan, I was not impressed.

What bothered me the most about the film was the intense promotion of that was to be seen at the Space Center. It just did not seem appropriate for such a neat historical site to be promoting such a movie IMO. What was really sad was the NASCAR arcade and souvenir shop that was set up on the grounds. Both were packed. That and the fact that the theater was packed with cheering kids(Little E is the favorite of the youngsters)was also a bummer. The reaction the film invoked is just another chilling example of how the sport has become NASCARized. You have to wonder if and how open wheel can ever get back to what it once was. :(

[Lizzerd]

But, but... NASCAR "technology" = NASA, right? Hahahaha...

Seriously, though, I've been to the IMAX here in Indy a couple times. I saw the film made on MIR, the Russian space station and Super Speedway. Both were awesome.

IMAX is something to behold, no matter what you see in one of those theaters. You literally can't see the whole screen in your field of view. You have to look up, down, right and left to see everything on the screen. Very cool.

[Kiwifan]

Super Speedway was on IMAX?? Rats, I have it on DVD and it is awesome on a 32inch telly but on IMAX? Man that would be fantastic!

My wife hates when I put the DVD on 'cause my son and I like it up loud . :) :)

Rusty.

[chop456]

You're in Alabama just after Talladega weekend. What did you expect, a Senna tribute? ;)

[cart7]

I'll bet it's a AWESOME experience!! So real, you'll probably feel the urge to throw a beer can onto the track if Dale don't win! :gomer:

[JohnHKart]

Hmm....this place is wierd....I posted a review of the film here and got zero responses just two weeks ago....Ok here it is again since nobody was looking then:

Met a friend for lunch at Ontario Mills Tuesday...he suggested we head over and see the Cup Imax movie.....wasn't something I was planning on seeing...but it was very well done...The opening scene has Jimmy Johnson and Ryan Newman being chased by Mike Helton and Gary Nelson up a winding road in North Carolina in vintage 1940's cars and clothing. The scenes of the cars on the track headed towards the camera and away from it are pretty cool. Also interesting are the visits to the shops and the interviews are well done. And the movie doesn't shy away from the recent deaths of Dale Earnhardt and Adam Petty. I would love to see an F1 film in the IMAX format, too bad Bernie would want all the money from it, so nobody is going to make one.

John

[Rogue Leader]

Hmm....this place is wierd....I posted a review of the film here and got zero responses just two weeks ago....Ok here it is again since nobody was looking then:

Met a friend for lunch at Ontario Mills Tuesday...he suggested we head over and see the Cup Imax movie.....wasn't something I was planning on seeing...but it was very well done...The opening scene has Jimmy Johnson and Ryan Newman being chased by Mike Helton and Gary Nelson up a winding road in North Carolina in vintage 1940's cars and clothing. The scenes of the cars on the track headed towards the camera and away from it are pretty cool. Also interesting are the visits to the shops and the interviews are well done. And the movie doesn't shy away from the recent deaths of Dale Earnhardt and Adam Petty. I would love to see an F1 film in the IMAX format, too bad Bernie would want all the money from it, so nobody is going to make one.

John


Sylvester Stallone's "Driven" was originally supposed to be about Formula 1 not ChampCar. But Bernie was basically gonna take the screws to Stallone for any and all profits from it, he said forget it. I dont blame him...

[Don Quixote]

Sylvester Stallone's "Driven" was originally supposed to be about Formula 1 not ChampCar. But Bernie was basically gonna take the screws to Stallone for any and all profits from it, he said forget it. I dont blame him...
I wonder what the eventual "profits" were? :laugh:

[JoeBob]

Super Speedway was on IMAX?? Rats, I have it on DVD and it is awesome on a 32inch telly but on IMAX? Man that would be fantastic!

My wife hates when I put the DVD on 'cause my son and I like it up loud . :) :)

Rusty.

Yes sir! It is an IMAX film that was later made available on DVD. It was filmed during the 1996 season. You can find all sorts of info about the movie here: http://www.superspeedway.com/

I saw the car on and off the track in Toronto that year, it was very cool! (It also makes the footage from Toronto quite eerie, given what happened that weekend.)

[B3RACER1a]

Super Speedway on IMAX was awesome! Saw 3 or 4 times.

[devilmaster]

I wonder what the eventual "profits" were? :laugh:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132245/business


Budget
$72,000,000
Opening Weekend
$12,174,504 (USA) (29 April 2001) (2,905 Screens)
£144,591 (UK) (7 October 2001) (188 Screens)
€172,632 (Spain) (15 June 2003) (180 Screens)
Gross
$32,616,869 (USA) (8 July 2001)
$32,543,656 (USA) (1 July 2001)
$32,377,888 (USA) (24 June 2001)
$32,193,156 (USA) (17 June 2001)
$32,076,407 (USA) (10 June 2001)
$31,762,844 (USA) (3 June 2001)
$30,965,788 (USA) (27 May 2001)
$29,026,703 (USA) (20 May 2001)
$26,131,638 (USA) (13 May 2001)
$21,503,718 (USA) (6 May 2001)
$12,174,504 (USA) (29 April 2001)
£144,591 (UK) (7 October 2001)
€293,410 (Spain) (22 June 2003)
€172,632 (Spain) (15 June 2003)
Weekend Gross
$37,719 (USA) (8 July 2001) (87 Screens)
$84,350 (USA) (1 July 2001) (206 Screens)
$161,420 (USA) (24 June 2001) (381 Screens)
$59,742 (USA) (17 June 2001) (125 Screens)
$156,723 (USA) (10 June 2001) (301 Screens)
$344,696 (USA) (3 June 2001) (612 Screens)
$1,227,553 (USA) (27 May 2001) (1,523 Screens)
$1,827,516 (USA) (20 May 2001) (2,011 Screens)
$3,047,384 (USA) (13 May 2001) (2,804 Screens)
$6,002,516 (USA) (6 May 2001) (2,905 Screens)
$12,174,504 (USA) (29 April 2001) (2,905 Screens)
£144,591 (UK) (7 October 2001) (188 Screens)
€50,160 (Spain) (22 June 2003) (138 Screens)
€172,632 (Spain) (15 June 2003) (180 Screens)
Admissions
264,912 (Brazil) (26 August 2001)
217,789 (Brazil) (19 August 2001)
109,040 (Brazil) (12 August 2001)
193,407 (Germany) (25 November 2001)
62,050 (Spain) (22 June 2003)
35,260 (Spain) (15 June 2003)
Filming Dates
6 July 2000 - October 2000
Copyright Holder
Champs Productions, Inc.

The way to read this, driven was a 72 million dollar budget, after its final week in the US, it grossed 32 million total over its viewing lifespan.

Add in the other countries, and with a decent video release, odds are it still didn't make money.

Steve

[Don Quixote]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132245/business



The way to read this, driven was a 72 million dollar budget, after its final week in the US, it grossed 32 million total over its viewing lifespan.

Add in the other countries, and with a decent video release, odds are it still didn't make money.

Steve
I am shocked that it took in so much, actually. And to think, about $28 of that came out of my pocket. I guess 72 mil doesn't buy much these days.

[JoeBob]

The Driven folks also get money from DVD sales (and I know one local electronics store always has a TV showing it) and when the movie is shown on over the air and cable TV. They'll probably get a decent sum from UPN showing it tonight - and maybe a handful of people will want to buy the DVD. When all is said and done, they've probably made quite a few million more off of that.

(Plus, they got money from Nextel and a couple of other team sponsors to be "featured" in the movie. Remember that Nextel ran quite a few Driven-related promotions. There's a decent chunk of change involved in that too. They also got some money from licensing the movie to the "Driven" Video Game too.)

Your movie can bomb at the box office, and still do okay. There's certainly been movies that made less money!

[FanofMario]

Hmm....this place is wierd....I posted a review of the film here and got zero responses just two weeks ago....Ok here it is again since nobody was looking then:

Met a friend for lunch at Ontario Mills Tuesday...he suggested we head over and see the Cup Imax movie.....wasn't something I was planning on seeing...but it was very well done...The opening scene has Jimmy Johnson and Ryan Newman being chased by Mike Helton and Gary Nelson up a winding road in North Carolina in vintage 1940's cars and clothing. The scenes of the cars on the track headed towards the camera and away from it are pretty cool. Also interesting are the visits to the shops and the interviews are well done. And the movie doesn't shy away from the recent deaths of Dale Earnhardt and Adam Petty. I would love to see an F1 film in the IMAX format, too bad Bernie would want all the money from it, so nobody is going to make one.

John

Sorry, other than the vintage chase scene, it didn't hold the drama of other IMAX films and in particular the Speedway film. The break away scences of Michael and Mario are a lot more effective than the lumbering Cup car. Your right about it not hiding the recent deaths, but do really think their crash reserach is all that? They can't even do the safety team! I thought the whole deal was nothing more than a Cup propaganda piece. :shakehead

[Jag_Warrior]

You're in Alabama just after Talladega weekend. What did you expect, a Senna tribute? ;)

You could have stopped with "You're in Alabama". :laugh:

[Megger]

You could have takin a cab ride in NY city. I'm sure its fairly similar.