The IMAX 70mm film is extremely expensive and Hollywood doesn't see the need to spend that much money on prints for a relatively liminted number of theaters. A regular 35mm release print is over $3,000.00 - mulitiply that by a couple thousand theaters and the cost mounts quickly.

IMAX is sure neat, but it is nowhere near a mass release format.

In my experience with the IMAX theaters in the Los Angeles area, the sound is still not as good as with a good home theater setup. 12,000 uncompressed watts notwithstanding - the sound is generally just as harsh as in any other commercial theater. This is not surprising since the speakers are the same JBL horns, not known for their finesse and the same "industrial" quality power amps made by QSC and others.

[This message has been edited by soundhound (edited June 01, 2004).]