Frequently Asked Questions | IMAX Theatre at the Royal BC Museum, Victoria, BC

Annual Pass

Q: What is the Annual Pass?

The Annual Pass is a program that allows pass-holders admission to unlimited regular (45-minute) IMAX films and to obtain discounted tickets to see Hollywood features converted into the IMAX format. The pass is valid for one full CALENDAR year. Other benefits are listed below.

Q: How can I purchase the Annual Pass?

Current Annual Pass Holders can renew their passes beginning November 1st

Annual Pass sales officially begin November 15th for the general public.

THREE WAYS TO BUY:

In Person - visit the National Geographic store at IMAX Victoria
Online - CLICK HERE
By Fax/Mail - CLICK HERE

Q: What is the cost of the Annual Pass?

The 2013 Annual Pass price is $46 plus tax for a total of $51.52.

NOTE: Children 2 and under are free of charge and do not require an annual pass provided they are held on the lap of an accompanying adult.

Q: Are there additional benefits to being a pass holder?

Yes, as well as seeing 45 minute films as often as desired, pass holders receive…

New! Unlimited entrance to our IMAX Film Festival in spring 2013
Entrance to Hollywood feature films for only $4
20% discount on companion tickets (each additional individual ticket purchased by a pass holder)
Bypass the box office online ticketing (service charge applies)
Free ‘upsizing’ on your soft drink and popcorn at the IMAX concession
20% Off Royal BC Museum admission15% discount on regular priced merchandise at the National Geographic Store
Electronic invitations to free test screenings and special events
NEW! Annual pass site - get the latest film updates, access special events, and view discounts for restaurant and attractions partners without waiting for an email

Q: I have an annual pass. How do I receive email updates?

First, please visit the National Geographic gift store to register your email address and confirm it is correct.

You can also email your correct information to jbatchelor@imaxvictoria.com

If you have registered your email address with us and are still not receiving emails please check your SPAM settings. Often, our email updates are accidentally flagged as junk mail due to our large recipient list. If you have difficulty changing the settings yourself please contact your email provider for assistance.

Q: Is my Annual Pass valid for the Silvercity IMAX?

No - the digital IMAX at Silvercity is not affiliated with our IMAX theatre and they do not accept our Annual Passes.

Q: What if I lose my annual pass?

Not a problem. Visit the National Geographic Store during business hours and ask for a replacement pass. A new pass can be re-produced with the same picture or we can take a new one for you. There is a fee of $5 plus HST for a replacement pass.

Q: Why do Annual Pass Holders have to pay a $1 transaction fee for online tickets?

We have utilized the services of a reputable 3rd part company (Ticket-Ops) that has experience across Canada providing online ticketing. They designed the software and purchasing page that you see once into the system.

The $1 fee covers their customer service overhead – the people answering the toll free number should a customer experience any problems ordering online, and to cover the credit card fees associated when pass holders order Hollywood film upgrades and/or buy companion tickets.

Both ourselves and Ticket-Ops worked to reduce this fee to as low as possible and also included the tax within the $1 fee.

Q: Why do pass holders pay slightly more than the general public for Hollywood films?

Our royalty structure is different for pass holders vs. non-pass holders.

Usually, the terms for the films are calculated as a percentage of box office revenue. An adult non pass holder generates revenue of $13.40 (before tax) which provides a higher royalty payment to the studio. A pass holder, on the other hand, only generates revenue in the region of $3.57 (before tax) and thus the studio takes most of that and we end up about even.

Q: Is the Victoria Annual Pass valid at all IMAX Theatres?

No, IMAX Victoria is independently operated and does not have reciprocal ticketing arrangements.

Q: I have an Annual Pass. How do I use it?

Two choices:

At the box office - just present your pass and you will be issued an admission ticket.

Online - click here to order or to bookmark your ticket order page: ONLINE TICKETS FOR PASS HOLDERS ONLY

At the entrance of the theatre - you must present both your admission ticket and annual pass to gain entry.

IMAX & the Films

Q: Why does the theatre play full length films later than other IMAX® Theatres?

Distributors select where they want new films to play and place restriction on the proximity of other theatres. In Victoria most films are released in another theatre but serious IMAX® fans will often wait or opt to see it again when it arrives here as they understand the incredible impact of experiencing a film in the IMAX® format.

Q: What is a DMR film and why doesn’t it fill the whole screen?

DMR stands for digitally re-mastered. A conventional film, in the conventional format is digitized, enlarged and then processed on IMAX® film. Because the original images were not shot on 70mm film they do not have the same square dimensions so when the picture is expanded the rectangular ratio has to remain in order to avoid distortion.

Q: What is the difference between IMAX® and regular films?

An IMAX® film is shot with an extremely large camera and projected with a machine the size of a small car. That may seem counter to the current movement in technology to smaller and smaller technology with bigger and bigger images. It’s logical though when you realize that the beauty and clarity of the famous IMAX image is only possible with 70mm film – that’s 10 times the size of a standard 35mm negative. If you’ve ever tried to blow up an image you’ll know the difference that size makes.

Q: What is the IMAX® Experience?

The IMAX® Experience is the world's most powerful and involving film experience. With breathtaking images on a six storey tall screen with 12,000-watts of wrap-around digital sound, this amazing technology takes you to places only imagined.

Images of unsurpassed clarity and impact are created using 70mm film in a Rolling Loop that runs horizontally through the massive projection system, each frame with an area 3 times that of a conventional 70mm frame and 10 times that of 35mm. Not only is the projected area six storeys tall - it is 70 feet wide - more than 10 times larger than conventional movie theatres AND MORE THAN 4,317 TIMES THE SIZE OF YOUR COMPUTER MONITOR.

General Information

Q: Where can I buy admission tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at the theatre or click on-line here

Q: How old does my child have to be to come to IMAX?

Generally the 45-minute IMAX films are rated G for general audience and are suitable for families, but sometimes the large screen coupled with surround sound can overwhelm young ones.

It's a little subjective in nature and you know your children best...will they be comfortable with an immersive, giant screen film experience?

Q: How do I contact the theatre?

For show times call (250) 480 4887 Ext. #1.
To speak with someone at the theatre please call: (250) 480 4887 between 9:45am and 8pm daily and press #4 or 0 during the greeting to reach a staff member.

Q: When is the theatre open?

The Theatre is open everyday except Christmas Day and New Years Day. The doors open at 9:45am and the first film is at 10am. Shows then play hourly into the evening with the last show at 7pm. (Updated March 25/13)

Q: Where is the Theatre?

IMAX Victoria is located just off the inner harbor inside the world famous Royal BC Museum in Victoria.

About IMAX Victoria
Owned and operated by Destination Cinema, this IMAX Theatre is located in Victoria, BC Canada. The 400 seat theatre features the 2-D IMAX Experience; with a projected area more than 6 stories high and 80 feet wide, up to 10 times larger than conventional screens, filling the viewer's entire field of vision.

The Theatre opened in June of 1998 and hosted more than 80,000 people in the first month. Local residents and visitors loved the new theatre in town and its first feature film, Whales. Since that time more than 4 million have enjoyed the IMAX® Experience.

The IMAX system has its roots in EXPO '67 in Montreal, Canada where multi-screen films were the hit of the fair. A small group of Canadian filmmakers/entrepreneurs who had made some of those popular films, decided to design a new system using a single, powerful projector, rather than the cumbersome multiple projectors used at that time. The result: the IMAX motion picture projection system, which would revolutionize giant-screen cinema.

IMAX technology premiered at the Fuji Pavilion, EXPO '70 in Osaka, Japan. The first permanent IMAX projection system was installed at Ontario Place's Cinesphere in Toronto in 1971. IMAX Dome (OMNIMAX) debuted at the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theatre in San Diego in 1973.

In March of 1994, the sale of IMAX by the original partners was finalized to Brad Wechsler, Rich Gelfond, and Wasserstein Perella Partners. In June 1994, IMAX was taken public on the NASDAQ stock exchange providing IMAX with the capitalization necessary to take advantage of numerous growth opportunities.