Advertisement

Supersized 'Wizard of Oz' showing in 3-D on IMAX

 
Tampa Bay Times
Published Sept. 19, 2013

Monkeys flying out of the movie screen? Munchkins standing 30 feet tall? Why, we never heard of such a thing. Then again, we've never seen The Wizard of Oz in 3-D on an IMAX screen.

That's about to change starting Friday, for one week only when Dorothy, Toto and the yellow brick gang land in select theaters nationwide like a house on a wicked witch, looking and sounding better than ever.

If it's good enough for James Franco and a wan Oz prequel, it's good enough for Judy Garland and the real thing.

The super-sizing is part of Warner Brothers' marketing push for the Oct. 1 home video release of The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Collector's Edition, featuring a 3-D version and loads of extras. (You're on your own with the oversized screen.)

The 1939 classic with the 21st century makeover will be shown at Baywalk in St. Petersburg, Veterans 24 in Tampa, Regency 20 in Brandon and Woodlands Square 20 in Oldsmar.

Here's a quick peek at The Wizard of Oz, by the numbers supplied by theguardian.com:

$2,777,000 — The movie's reported budget, a fortune in 1939.

$3 million — Box office gross during its initial release.

$50 — Reported weekly pay for each of the Munchkin actors.

$175 — Reported weekly pay for Toto the Cairn terrier (real name: Terry).

11 — Minutes trimmed from the movie after test screenings in 1939. Only those audiences ever saw the extra footage.

4 — Sets of ruby slippers used during filming.

1 — Ranking of Over the Rainbow on AFI's list of the 100 Greatest Songs in America Films.