Ang Lee is so far ahead of his time, theaters literally aren’t ready for his movies. The groundbreaking director’s latest, Gemini Man, is a technical marvel. Lee shot it in 120 frames-per-second 4K 3D and created a 100% digital version of star Will Smith to portray his younger self. It’s a remarkable achievement, and it’s a damn shame hardly anybody is going to see it as Lee intended.
The timing on this is funny as I literally just walked out of a Gemini Man screening a few minutes ago, and it was definitely NOT in the way Lee would’ve wanted. Polygon reached out to Paramount and Dolby which confirmed no theaters in the U.S. are capable of showing Gemini Man in 120fps 4K 3D. Only 14 theaters in the entire country come close, showing the film in 120fps high frame rate and in 3D. Even those won’t be perfect as they can’t show it in 4K and must settle for 2K.
Other theaters showing the film in HFR and 3D will be able to run it at 60fps, and that includes IMAX screenings. Some will be shown in 4K at a lower fps, some will only be in traditional formats without 3D or the higher frame rate, which is just a damn shame and that’s what we critics had to endure earlier.
Literally, zero theaters in the U.S. will show Gemini Man in the 120 frames-per-second 4K 3D that Lee worked so hard to achieve. In the past he’s admitted to knowing this might happen, but it still has to suck to see all that hard work basically go to waste.
However, it does mean the movie will have to stand on its own merits, and I think there’s enough excitement from those who want to see old man Will Smith beat up the Fresh Prince that it could do very well.
If you must see Gemini Man this weekend in the best possible way technically, the list of theaters showing it in 120fps 2K 3D is below. It ain’t a long list.
AMC Aventura Mall 24 – Miami, FL
AMC Century City 15 – Los Angeles, CA
AMC Del Amo 18 – Los Angeles, CA
AMC Disney Springs 24 – Orlando, FL
AMC Elmwood Palace 20 – New Orleans, LA
AMC Flatiron Crossing 14 – Denver, CO
AMC Hawthorn 12 – Chicago, IL
AMC Lincoln Square 13 – New York, NY
AMC Metreon 16 – San Francisco, CA
AMC North Point 12 – Atlanta, GA
AMC River East 21 – Chicago, IL
AMC Town Square 18 – Las Vegas, NV
AMC White Marsh 16 – Baltimore, MD
AMC Willowbrook 24 – Houston, TX
