Interstellar returns to IMAX for the 10th anniversary of the science fiction film, December 6. Normally, this would be a time to celebrate for fans of the impressive space epic and its director, Christopher Nolan. Finally, a chance to watch all 64 minutes of those glorious 70mm shots of black holes and planetary tsunamis again on a giant screen. Unfortunately, everything about how Interstellar The IMAX return was rolled out to fans disappointed and furious.

The disorder began when the tickets were supposed to go up for pre-order on November 7 but there was virtually no advance warning for fans to prepare. Then, instead of all going up at once, some moviegoers were able to get them earlier in the day. AMC app while Fandango only had them available a few hours after initially announcing it would.

A confusing purchasing process was made worse by the fact that only a few IMAX theaters will actually screen Interstellar next month, and even then, it will only be for a week. Show times begin on December 6th and do not continue until the following Friday, December 13th. And only the eight theaters below, in just six states, are offering screenings:

• Dallas, Texas – Cinemark Dallas and IMAX
• Fort Lauderdale, FL – AutoNation IMAX, Museum of Discovery and Science
• Indianapolis, IN – IMAX, Indiana State Museum
• Irvine, California – Regal Edwards Irvine Spectrum and IMAX
• New York, NY – AMC Lincoln Square 13 and IMAX
• San Francisco, California – AMC Metreon 16 and IMAX
• Tempe, Arizona – Harkins Arizona Mills 25 and IMAX
• Universal City, CA – Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk Hollywood and IMAX

Even if you live within driving distance of one of the theaters, almost all tickets are already sold out in 24 hours to become available. It is possible that more theaters will still be able to benefit from IMAX screenings in the coming weeks. With demand being so high, it will compete with other blockbusters like Moana 2 (released November 27) and, as more dates are added, Sonic 3 (released December 20). At least one theater, Autonation in Fort Lauderdale, announced it will show Insterstellar in IMAX for a second week.

“There were no up-close screenings,” one disappointed fan wrote on the IMAX subreddit. “Not even Nashville, which surprised me. I’ve been waiting for this all year too. It’s been my favorite movie for ten years and I still regret not seeing it in IMAX when it was first released.

Even those who managed to get tickets now travel hundreds of miles to make it work. One person booked an entire trip from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale 200 miles away, including accommodation. Others are drive up to eight hours to find their nearest IMAX screening. Is it practical? In the words of Interstallar protagonist, Cooper, “No. It’s necessary.

Hopefully theaters decide it’s necessary to bring Interstellar return to IMAX at another time and in other places. For now, everyone will have to make do with regular screenings later in December.

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