Tag Archives: IMAX

Museum Block

The big museum bait and switch

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How many people voted for the $40 million museum tax referendum in 2009 because they were promised an IMAX theater downtown? No small number, to be sure. Opponents of the museum plan questioned whether we were really going to get an IMAX since no contract was signed. We were assured there would be an IMAX. Their attendance and revenue predictions were predicated on it. The contract with IMAX was sitting on the desk at Lakeview just waiting to be signed once the referendum passed! Remember that?

Well, guess what?

Lakeview Museum’s president/CEO Jim Richerson said while an IMAX theater is not off the table, other alternatives are being explored.

“We want to build the best thing going out there,” Richerson said, adding that ETI 3-D digital screens also are a giant screen possibility for the riverfront museum.

“If it’s something better, we plan to go with them,” Richerson said. “We won’t open this for another two years, but again, we want to make sure we deliver the best thing.”

County Board member Andrew Rand, chairman of the county’s museum construction committee, said utilizing the IMAX brand could be costly.

He said museum officials would have to plunk down $1.2 million in an advance payment in order to utilize the IMAX brand, an amount that is twice as much as what other vendors are asking.

“I don’t think we’re specifically hung up on IMAX, which is a specific brand, for any reason,” Rand said. “The agreement the county has is for a high-definition, giant screen digital cinema. That’s what we expect.”

Huh. Who’da thunk they wouldn’t follow through on their promise of an IMAX? I mean, they’ve followed through on… um… come to think of it, they’ve never followed through on anything they promised, have they?

To all the voters who fell for the propaganda of the museum group in April 2009, I have just one thing to say: Suckers.

For more great updates on the museum fiasco, see County Board Member Merle Widmer’s blog entries: Peoria Riverfront Museum and Peoria Riverfront Museum – Additions.

General News, Movies

Speaking of IMAX, have you heard of “fake IMAX”?

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Frequent commenter “Mahkno” mentioned in response to a previous post that “IMAX was [as of the last time he looked into it] moving away from the singular movie theatre venues. Their principle growth has been in partnering with large theatre chains to sell their IMAX brand, equipment, and format. It might be more likely at this point that one of the area multiplexes would adopt the IMAX format before the museum would.”

As a matter of fact, IMAX has indeed been partnering with large theater chains, including Goodrich Quality Theaters (which owns Willow Knolls 14 in Peoria) and AMC (which will soon own ShowPlace 14 in Pekin). But these multiplex IMAX theaters are not the same as standalone IMAX theaters. They’re smaller. A lot smaller. In fact, here are a couple of screen-size comparisons that I’ve shamelessly swiped from other websites (here [WARNING: lots of profanity] and here):

Click on the images to enlarge. As you can see, the retrofitted multiplex theaters don’t really hold a candle to a true IMAX giant-screen experience. But that really isn’t what has gotten everyone so upset. After all, the screen is larger than most multiplex screens, and the sound is far better.

What bothers critics — including Roger Ebert — is that IMAX is not differentiating these smaller theaters from their traditional giant-screen theaters. So Joe Blow goes to his local AMC multiplex and plunks down an extra five bucks for the IMAX experience, walks into the theater and… surprise! It’s not a giant-screen theater, but just a slightly-larger-than-average multiplex theater screen. And he feels scammed. Ebert offers some common-sense advice:

But apparently, IMAX is not going to do any such thing. This whole outrage over what many are calling “fake IMAX” broke out nearly a year ago, and so far no differentiation has been forthcoming from IMAX.

Nevertheless, given AMC’s deal with IMAX and the fact that AMC is buying Kerasotes Theatres, I wonder if the museum might have some competition for landing a local IMAX theater. Time will tell.

Museum Block, Peoria County

How are those IMAX negotiations coming?

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During the run up to last April’s referendum, I talked to many people who were going to vote in favor of the museum tax. One of the big selling features for many of them was the proposed IMAX theater that would be included as part of the package. The museum group wasn’t shy about touting the IMAX. They included it by name on their marketing materials. When Citizens for Responsible Spending pointed out that the museum group had no contract with IMAX, museum officials defended their use of the IMAX brand name and explained that they couldn’t sign a contract until the referendum passed, but that they had a contract sitting on their desks ready to sign.

It’s now been ten months, and there is still no signed contract with IMAX. More tellingly, museum officials have stopped using the IMAX brand name. In their presentation to the Peoria County Board last Thursday, it was consistently referred to as a “large screen theater” or a “giant screen theater.” When board member Brad Harding asked if it was an IMAX or a large screen theater, Lakeview’s chairman of the board stated that they can’t use the IMAX brand name because they don’t have a contract signed with IMAX yet. He did say they were still negotiating with IMAX, however.

I sincerely hope that the IMAX negotiations are successful. Because if there is no IMAX, it will be one of the biggest bait-and-switch swindles ever propagated on Peoria taxpayers.

Museum Block

Trip to Quad Cities strengthens resolve to vote “no”

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james-deereSaturday morning my wife and I decided to take our kids up to the Quad Cities to visit a couple of places we keep hearing about all the time in the news: The John Deere Pavilion and the Putnam Museum IMAX.

We took off late morning so that we got to Galesburg around lunch time. We stopped there and ate at the Packinghouse. I had their prime rib dip; my wife had their soup and salad bar. The children had your typical kids’ meal fare: chicken tenders or a hamburger and french fries. It was all delicious.

Then we hopped back in the van and headed north to Moline, where we stopped first at the John Deere Pavilion. Admission was free, and we all had a lot of fun climbing on the giant tractors. My kids especially enjoyed sitting in the driver’s seat and pretending to drive. There were several interactive/computerized exhibits as well. One of them was a flight-simulator-type of program that let you “drive” a harvester. Watching the children try to steer straight was a real hoot!

After a quick stop in the adjacent John Deere Store, we were off to the IMAX. Following the directions from Google was a little tricky, but we didn’t get lost and made the trip from Moline to Davenport in about 15 minutes.

The IMAX was not showing any big Hollywood shows, but they did have some short educational films. We took in the double-feature of “Mystery of the Nile” and “Under the Sea 3D.” Admission price for the two approximately 45-minute films was $14 for adults and $10 for children. So for my family — two adults and three children — the total admission cost was $58. And of course no movie is complete without some popcorn and soft drinks. That set us back another $20 or so.

We all had a good time and enjoyed the movies — well, except for my three-year-old. We learned that he’s not quite ready for movies yet. He did, however, really enjoy playing with the flip-up theater seat. The girls really enjoyed the 3D movie; my five-year-old kept reaching out and trying to grab objects that looked like they were right in front of her, which was pretty entertaining. There were about 12 people attending the first movie, and about 35 at the second movie.

After the movies, we headed back home and ate supper in Peoria. I asked the kids what their favorite part of the trip was. Answer: climbing on the big tractors.

As I reflected on our trip, I thought about a few things. First of all, the proposed Caterpillar Experience would be really cool down on the Sears block. It could be a real asset to the community and good for tourism. Unfortunately, they’ve inextricably tied themselves to the museum project, so that now their offer to build their visitor’s center is dependent on taxpayers coughing up $40 million for a project they don’t really want. It feels a lot like extortion, frankly, and doesn’t engender good feelings toward Caterpillar. I looked up some information on John Deere and I couldn’t find any ultimatum from the John Deere company that they would only build their Pavilion if some other civic project requiring millions in local tax dollars was built. It appears Deere invested in Davenport with no strings attached; what a nice company!

Nevertheless, Cat is a private company, and they’re free to invest in the community or withhold their investment at their discretion. But let’s get the facts straight: it’s Cat’s decision, not the voters’. The voters are not being given the choice of having the Caterpillar Experience without the Peoria Riverfront Museum. So be it. The ultimatum actually strengthens — not weakens — my resolve to vote against the tax increase.

Secondly, I noted that the Putnam Museum and IMAX are not located adjacent to the John Deere Pavilion. They’re located across the state line, in fact, about 15 minutes away. Yet the museum group here in Peoria holds up this IMAX as an example of how successful an IMAX can be in a community. Perhaps if they really wanted to mimic the success of this project, they should build the IMAX adjacent to the current Lakeview Museum. It would be cheaper and would still utilize local labor, but wouldn’t require a tax increase.

Putnam’s IMAX cost around $14 million to construct, and the only assistance given them by the city of Davenport was about $2 million for a new entrance and parking lot which the city now owns. No county money or tax money was needed. The rest of the funds were privately contributed.

Finally, I thought about the claim that the tax will only cost the average Peoria resident $17 per year. What the $17 doesn’t include is the price of actually patronizing the museum, which can be costly, especially if you have a large family. Just going to a couple of educational movies cost my family nearly $80. If we had wanted to visit the museum’s galleries, it would have cost even more. How are residents on the south side going to afford to go to this new amenity that they will be contributing to build? Or residents in the far-flung reaches of the county, for that matter?

The only answer I can come up with is that they won’t be able to afford it. They will pay to build it, but won’t get to enjoy the benefits of it. Meanwhile, things they would benefit from — improved infrastructure, streets, sidewalks, sewers, etc. — will continue to be deferred for lack of funds.

I enjoyed my trip, but I’m still voting “no” on April 7.

Museum Block

Museum showcases plans for “The Street”

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From a press release:

Peoria Riverfront Museum’s “The Street” to Innovatively Capture the Region’s Colorful History

Peoria – The Peoria area’s history will surprise, educate and entertain you. Peoria Riverfront Museum collaborators proved that point today as they revealed details of The Street, a major, ever-changing gallery designed to bring to life the Peoria area’s long and colorful history—from its Native American roots through the initial French settlements to its place as the All-American bellwether of U.S. taste and beyond.

Collaborators playing a key role in planning The Street, including the Peoria Historical Society (PHS), Peoria Regional Museum Society (PRMS) and African American Hall of Fame Museum (AAHFM), spoke to supporters gathered at the Hotel Pere Marquette in downtown Peoria, a few blocks away from the seven-acre site of the proposed development.

State Sen. David Koehler, a long-time proponent of the museum block, said, “I’m excited to see the groundswell of support around The Block. I know this project will bring great educational, cultural, entertainment and economic opportunities to our region.” Koehler added he’s “looking forward to visiting The Street to explore more about the Peoria area’s early years and all the people and companies who have helped to make it what it is today.”

“We’ve talked previously about the features of the Riverfront Museum, including the IMAX Theatre and the planetarium,” said Museum Collaboration Group co-Chairperson Brad McMillan. “Today, we focus on the exhibit galleries planned for the Washington Wing of the museum, particularly The Street historical galleries showcasing the region’s history and the Oral History Center, where visitors of all ages can tell their stories for generations to come.”

The collaborators unveiled specific plans for The Street, including The Square, a nearly life-size streetscape integrating real objects from the region’s past, oversize graphics, text and interactive opportunities. The Square will feature an interpretive timeline of the area’s past, as well as fascinating stories unique to Peoria—some legendary, some little known. Anchoring The Square will be a massive video projection and large-scale artifacts supporting the current theme.

PHS Board President Marilyn Leyland said The Street will be a rotating exhibit with themed portions continually changing, starting with “Pride of Peoria: Innovation and Entrepreneurship.” Focusing on Peoria as a hardworking town, this inaugural theme will highlight the businesses and industries that brought wealth to the community and continue to flourish today, as well as showcase examples of that ingenuity—from bicycles and early automobiles to distilled spirits and earthmoving equipment, plus the advertising that promoted them.

A future theme of The Street is called “Will It Play in Peoria?” It will explore the importance of Peoria audiences, from riverboat and vaudeville patrons to coveted targets of modern market research. The region’s rich history provides an endless source of engaging themes and interesting stories to tell in the future.

“And on any given day, you might run into important people from the past,” said Leyland, introducing John Parks of the PRMS. Parks came in character as inventor Charles Duryea to announce the society would donate to The Street a Duryea automobile invented 110 years ago in a garage on West Barker Avenue, along with $40,000 for maintenance and exhibits explaining the vehicle’s history. “That gas-powered vehicle started people thinking in new ways,” Parks said. “It inspired Henry Ford—and we all know what happened next.”

Another important element of The Street will be an Oral History Center with a Story Booth to feature individual stories of Peoria-area residents. “Oral history has been an especially important tradition in the African-American community,” said Margie White, representing the AAHFM. “The Oral History Center will allow visitors to capture their own history, leaving with a DVD of their recording.” Selected recordings of general interest will be used by the museum in future exhibits.

The current African American Hall of Fame exhibit would be integrated into a Wall of Fame inside the Living History Center. This exhibit will honor individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame each year for having made an outstanding contribution to the Peoria African-American community.

In addition, the Caterpillar African American Network, an affinity group within Caterpillar that supports African-American employees, will donate $12,500 to the museum on behalf of AAHFM.

McMillan announced other Washington Wing exhibits will include an International Feature Gallery for special traveling exhibits—including the best exhibits the Smithsonian Institution has to offer—and traditional exhibits of fine art and folk art based on the extensive collections of Museum Collaboration Group partners. Announcements about exhibits to be included in the Liberty Wing of the museum will be made in the coming weeks, he added.

The multifaceted Riverfront Museum will join the Caterpillar Experience as key components of a planned downtown center for the arts, education and entertainment known as The Block. The $136 million project already has garnered $90 million in commitments to date, including 86 percent of the private funding and 40 percent of the public funding needed, said Michael Bryant, chairman of the CEO Roundtable, a group of prominent business leaders working to raise $8 million and the public awareness needed to help build the Riverfront Museum.

The Journal Star’s story includes pictures and diagrams.