Lawton's Carmike Theater has new 3D system

[Bobby H]

The Carmike 8 in Lawton recently installed hardware to support the new Real D digital cinema 3D format in one of the theater's 8 screens.

To find out a bit more about Real D, visit REAL D - The Premier Digital 3D Experience.

The Carmike 8 already features 2000 line 3-chip DLP digital cinema capability on all screens. Screens #4 and #5 were originally built for THX certification (although Carmike has only been paying THX to keep the certification on house #4). The addition of Real D (also on house #4) improves the theater's capability even further. The multiplex had been upgraded to stadium seating a couple years ago and had previously featured DTS Digital Surround Sound on all 8 screens. Now the audio is 24-bit uncompressed LPCM 5.1, a noticeably superior audio format.

The Carmike 8 in Lawton may be a modest 8-plex, but it has maintained its standing as one of Oklahoma's best quality movie theaters for the past decade. Other first run theaters in or near the Lawton area just don't compare. The theater is now one of only a mere handful of movie theaters in the state equipped with digital cinema. And this theater has 3-chip 2000 line DLP D-Cinema systems in every house.

I'll also add the Carmike 8 tends to attract a more mature crowd. It seems like more of the noisy teens prefer to hang out at Central Mall and visit the lesser quality 12-plex there. And that's fine by me. The only bad thing about that is any business given to that theater will keep it open and prevent a better quality movie theater from being built in downtown Lawton or on Lawton's east side.

[jdsplaypin]

It appears, shawnee, lawton, Muskogee, & Stillwater will all be getting this soon

[Bobby H]

I don't know about the other Carmike theaters in Oklahoma, but the one in Lawton already has Real D installed.

Carmike Cinemas has a deal with Real D to install 500 of the 3D systems as part of the theater chain's program to equip 2300 of its 2400 theater screens with Digital Cinema. When the install program is completed most Carmike locations should have at least a couple auditoriums equipped for Real D.

It's too bad there's not a whole lot of 3D movies out there, but I think as more of those systems get installed we'll see a greater number of releases. I'm looking forward to Robert Zemeckis' version of Beowulf, coming out this November. That might be really good to see in 3D.