If we've learned anything from the success of Sam Raimi's Oz The Great and Powerful earlier this year it's that people are still very much interested in spending time in the merry old world of Oz. While the movie ended up dividing critics, families came out in droves both domestically and internationally, and by the end of the film's run in theaters it managed to make a global total of just under $500 million - making it the third biggest hit of the year at the halfway mark (behind only Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel). In terms of sequels it's hard to say what the future will hold, but later this year people will be able to venture into the past.
As you can see above, Yahoo! has debuted the first trailer for the upcoming IMAX 3D release of Victor Fleming's classic fantasy The Wizard of Oz. We first learned about the film coming back to theaters early last month, the event being held to celebrate the movie's 75th anniversary (which is technically on August 12th). The news came the same week that it was announced we will soon be getting a brand new Blu-ray release of the movie. You can get all of the details and prices by clicking here.
It's an interesting decision to give The Wizard of Oz a technological upgrade, seeing as it was such a major technical revelation itself when it was released all the way back in 1939. While I don't know any exact details about the conversion process for the movie, part of me is hoping that the 3D and IMAX effects won't kick in until after the sepia-toned sequences and the entrance into Oz - similar to what Raimi did with Oz The Great and Powerful.
The film returning to theaters also provides a fun opportunity for fans of Oz, who can now create their own cool double features by watching Raimi's movie at home on Blu-ray or DVD and then going to the theater to see The Wizard of Oz on the big screen. There are definitely particular moments in the most recent release that are meant to sync up with the original (no, not like "Dark Side of the Moon") and it could be fun to watch with a close eye and see how many you can count. For a refresher course, watch the Oz The Great and Powerful trailer below.
The Wizard of Oz in 3D will exclusively be playing in IMAX theaters nationwide on September 20th.
