Fans like what they see at new Imax theater in Riverbank

Batman and Superman added punch, but the new Imax theater was the star of the Galaxy on Thursday night.

Moviegoers packed the roughly 350-seat theater for Imax 3-D showings of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” at 6 and 9:30 p.m., and theater executives early in the evening decided to add a 12:45 a.m. Friday screening because of demand. They also added 8:30 a.m. showings for Saturday and Sunday.

Galaxy Theatres President Rafe Cohen and CEO Frank Rimkus were on hand for opening night, and Cohen spoke with fans as they lined up in the lobby for the 6 p.m. show. Asked by a group how long the theater was in the works, he said, “We really were able to get this through pretty quickly. ... Most overnight successes take about five years, but this one we really started the concept just about a year ago.”

The theater built on the west end of the Galaxy Luxury+ cineplex on Patterson Road is so new that the “Imax” lettering isn’t even up yet. The auditorium boasts a three-story-tall, 70-foot-wide, extra-bright screen and synchronized dual projectors.

Moviegoers leaving the 6 p.m. screening Thursday were unanimously positive in describing the experience, with only a few criticisms.

“It’s crazy, you need to come see it,” said Jon Walbridge, 20, of Modesto, saying the image and sound were excellent. “This was a different experience, not just a movie for me, this was a new experience.”

“I think it was a perfect movie to come and experience” the new theater, added Ivan Miranda.

Adam Morris, an Imax first-timer, said he enjoyed it, but would not recommend a second-row seat like he had. He found himself having to turn his head left and right too often.

Riverbank resident Melinda Cogburn, seeing the show with her husband, Joshua, said she wished the movie had been formatted to fit the screen. “There were a few feet lost at the top and bottom because they made it a widescreen,” she said. She recalled that a movie she saw at the Imax in Dublin filled the screen, “making it feel more like you’re in the picture.”

The recliners in the Imax don’t go as far back as the ones in the other Luxury+ theaters, her husband added. Being able to lean back farther would have allowed him not to crane his neck.

After seeing the movie Friday morning with her stepson, Kate Trompetter of Modesto said Imax was a first for her and “I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very comfortable and the experience was grand.” Their seats were about three-fourths of the way back, which was an excellent vantage point, they said. “I’m not a fan of 3-D,” Trompetter said, “but this was totally fine.”

Stepson Seth Rogers, 15, said this was his second Imax movie and “a little brighter and a better picture” than he recalls from the first time. The 3-D, he said, “brings more life to the film. I think the sound was great, too.”

If there’s a downside, Trompetter said, it’s the Imax ticket price. A general admission ticket for a 2-D screening at the Riverbank Imax is $15, and 3-D carries a $3 surcharge.

“For a family of five, that would price us out a little,” she said. “But when it’s the right film and we’re excited about seeing it, we definitely would go for that experience.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Fans like what they see at new Imax theater in Riverbank."