Disney's Sticking with IMAX

Thanks to the box office success of Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story 3, the Walt Disney Company has signed a deal that will send three more of their big-budget releases to 3D/IMAX in 2011, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal. 

The first film will the animated Mars Needs Moms, which opens on March 11, 2011.  On May 20th, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will sail into IMAX theaters, which will be followed by Pixar's Cars 2 on June 24th.

In a statement, Disney's president of distribution Chuck Viane says, "The IMAX experience adds another level of impact and excitement to a movie, and with these new films, made by some of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, audiences are in for are real treat."

Presumably, so are Disney and IMAX, who stand to make a ton of money thanks to inflated 3D/IMAX prices.  I didn't think the 3D/IMAX added anything extra special to Alice in Wonderland, which I enjoyed.  I've seen Toy Story 3 in both 3D/IMAX and in 2D, and that was spectacular in both versions...but that's also because it's simply a spectacular movie.

But they've had good results so far with the 3D/IMAX releases - of the $110 mllion Toy Story 3 made on it's opening weekend, 8% of that was from IMAX theaters.  They most likely have two sure things with Pirates just based on Johnny Depp alone, and while Cars might not be the most popular of the Pixar films, it's been hugely successful with kids who will certainly be clamoring for a sequel.  Mars Needs Moms?  We'll wait and see.