There's a lovely vintage Art Deco cinema (as we call venues that show films here in the UK and also in Australia) just up the road from me, and it would be wonderful to see a new Narnia movie there. But as it's going to be released by IMAX, it'll only be shown in IMAX cinemas, and those are naturally all very modern in style. I do have one of those within easy reach, at the Trafford Centre in central Manchester, about 20 minutes' drive away.

In the end, I'm not really concerned about the surroundings, fun though it is to watch a classic-style movie in a classic-style venue. It's what's happening on the screen that's important. A really nice cinema adds a bit to the experience and it can make a good film feel just a little more special, but it can't make a bad film better. And if the film itself is REALLY good, that in itself transcends everything about the venue, at least for me.

Posted by: @narnian78

To some an IMAX theater might seem a little too modern even though it might offer better technology. 

Oddly enough, if you go to a proper IMAX 70mm theatre, it's one of the few places which actually uses traditional film projection these days. 

Almost all of the regular theatres these days use digital projectors which aren't as good.

@courtenay 

I remember first seeing the 1968 movie Oliver! in a small auditorium on a college campus, which was at the same college that I graduated from. It was shown on an old fashioned projector with reels of film. I have to say that the location made me feel very nostalgic back in the 1970’s when I was a student there. It added to the vintage experience and the atmosphere of watching a musical based on Dickens’ novel. Seeing a Narnia film in a similar location might do the same thing. At least I wouldn’t be distracted by too much modern technology.  But yes, it is mainly the movie itself that provides the experience. But where you see it can make a difference in how much you enjoy it.  🙂