Rey (Daisy Ridley), left, confronts long-exiled Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) at his monastery-like retreat
photo by 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd.
In a move sure to delight fans on both sides of The Force, the latest entry in the Star Wars film saga, The Last Jedi, will be making its triumphant debut on Chattanooga’s largest screen on Feb. 16.
Through April 12, The Last Jedi will be shown in 3D daily at 7 p.m. on the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater’s six-story screen. Viewers will soak in the film’s Academy Award-nominated score, sound and visual effects via the theater’s IMAX with Laser Projection system. This cutting-edge technology offers a degree of audiovisual clarity, brightness and precision found in only a few dozen theaters worldwide and unmatched by any movie house within hundreds of miles of Chattanooga.
Like The Force Awakens before it, The Last Jedi features scenes specifically shot using IMAX cameras. Attending a screening at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater offers a rare opportunity for fans to see the film in the form closest to writer/director Rian Johnson’s vision.
“I wait for big epics (on film) to see in IMAX,” says Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill, in an online featurette. “It’s incomparable. The sound, the seating — it’s like the ultimate movie experience. Thank goodness we have IMAX.”
The Tennessee Aquarium IMAX will host two special events to launch the film’s giant screen debut in Chattanooga. “Star Wars Cantina Nights” on Feb. 16-17. Guests attending The Last Jedi on the first two nights of screenings will be able to meet and snap photos with, and of, local costumers dressed as characters from a galaxy far, far away. In addition to regular concessions, a cash bar will also be serving beer, wine and a specially themed Star Wars cocktail.
The eighth mainline Star Wars film, The Last Jedi represents the middle entry in the current Star Wars trilogy, which began with 2015’s The Force Awakens. Since its theatrical premiere on Dec. 9, 2017, The Last Jedi has grossed $1.3 billion worldwide, making it the ninth-most financially successful film of all time, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.
The Last Jedi continues the tale of Force-sensitive heroine Rey (Daisy Ridley) as she seeks guidance and tutelage from Luke Skywalker, the storied Jedi Knight who long since retreated into self-imposed exile. Meanwhile, after a disastrous rout, the last remnants of the Resistance fleet are limping just out of reach of pursuing First Order forces and the unbridled power of their leaders, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Circus).
The Last Jedi is a feature-length film rated PG-13 and with a runtime of 152 minutes (2 hours and 32 minutes). Tickets are $15.95 for adults and $12.95 for ages 3-12. Holders of an IMAX Club Pass can purchase tickets at a discounted rate of $4. Purchase tickets at the IMAX box office located at 201 Chestnut St., Chattanooga. Additional info about The Last Jedi is at tnaqua.org/imax/star-wars-the-last-jedi.
Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), left, sits next to a diminutive alien Porg in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon
photo by 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd.