The cost of this screenshot comes with quite a price tag.
The Royal BC Museum announced Aug. 31 that it has purchased IMAX Victoria from Destination Cinema for $3.8 million, thanks to a provincial government grant.
The purchase is part of long-term planning aimed at modernizing the RBCM facility, where the IMAX Victoria Theatre has been in operation since 1998.
“This is an exciting step for the Royal BC Museum modernization,” Jack Lohman, Chief Executive Officer of RBCM said in a media release. “Bringing the IMAX Victoria into the Museum operation opens up more educational opportunities as we work to upgrade the museum.”
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The experience for moviegoers will remain the same, with documentary features and Hollywood feature films. The current staff will become RBCM employees.
Bringing IMAX Victoria under RBCM control means the potential redevelopment process won’t be impacted by a private lease agreement down the road, Lohman noted. The BC Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the museum are in the process of developing a business case for the government’s decisions on redevelopment and additional facilities in the future.
About 356,000 people attend movies in IMAX Victoria every year. It recently reopened with enhanced safety measures and a maximum capacity of 50 people. For more information on RBCM’s modernization plans at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.
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rick.stiebel@goldstream gazette.com
