'Game of Thrones' IMAX Release Date Delay: Launch Pushed Back A Week
Fans will have to wait for two more weeks before they can finally see the screening of "Game of Thrones" in cinemas.
IMAX announced that it will be pushing back the big screen release of the acclaimed fantasy hit series to make its Season 5 premiere even bigger, according to Entertainment Weekly.
"(The change was) prompted by extraordinary consumer response that drove online mentions for IMAX to record heights. This will allow for an expanded domestic roll-out," the theater company said in a statement.
Instead of its Jan. 23 release, the screening of two episodes from "Game of Thrones" Season 4 as well as the new trailer for Season 5 in IMAX format has been rescheduled to Jan. 29.
HBO and IMAX are also adding 50 more cinemas that will screen the re-mastered episodes of "Game of Thrones," bringing the total of participating IMAX theaters to 200 instead of the initial 150.
The presentation, based on the book series of author George R. Martin, can be seen in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, New York, San Antonio, Seattle, Toronto, Washington, D.C. and other cities.
While tickets will not be available for purchase from the IMAX website until Jan. 16, the theater company's website has reportedly been down due to heavy traffic.
"Game of Thrones" has the honor of being the first TV series to ever receive a run in the super-sized cinema format. It has become HBO's most popular series of all time with an average of 19 million viewers per episode last season, Entertainment Weekly reported.
It was also the most-searched TV show on Google last year and the most mentioned on Facebook, according to Deadline.
It won four Emmy Awards after leading the nominations with 19, and will compete for the Best Drama Series at Golden Globes next week.
With only extremely brief teases to promote the new season, "Game of Thrones" is expected to return in April.