Fans of Marvel television got some pretty exciting news back in November when word broke that ABC was bringing a series all about Inhumans to the small screen. The new show wasn't going to premiere like most network projects, however, as it was being shot to debut on IMAX before airing on ABC. The original announcement stated that the first two episodes would be released on IMAX for two weeks, starting on Labor Day weekend. Now, it seems that Inhumans won't be easily available on the big screen for as long as we thought.
Here's what's happening. Inhumans will debut in IMAX on August 31 as planned, giving consumers the Labor Day holiday weekend to head to the theataer and check out the two-episode event. IMAX is hosting the event at many theaters across the country from August 31 to September 7. Then, starting on September 8, it will be a lot harder to find Inhumans on IMAX. It seems that IMAX is bumping Inhumans from its lineups a lot sooner than expected.
There are a couple of reasons why IMAX might have made the decision to reduce the number of Inhumans showings after the first week. A big factor is probably the upcoming release of IT, which will hit IMAX theaters across the country on September 8. IT is one of the most highly-anticipated movies of the year, as it promises big frights as it brings a beloved Stephen King novel to life. Basically, IT is likely to draw a much larger audience than the first two episodes of Inhumans that are set to air on ABC later in September anyway. IMAX may have done the math and chosen to prioritize IT over Inhumans.
There's also the fact that Inhumans hasn't been generating overwhelmingly positive buzz so far. The early footage received a lukewarm reception from viewers, and Inhumans is debuting in a year that will feature a lot of superhero competition on the small screen. It's possible that IMAX doesn't believe the reception for Inumans will be good enough to justify keeping it in theaters nationwide for the full two weeks.
Unfortunately, we can really only speculate at this point. We may never know why exactly it will be so much harder to catch Inhumans on IMAX after its first week, although it's possible that individual theaters are making the decision themselves. Hopefully those who have been waiting for Inhumans on the big screen will be able to attend a screening in the first week.
The IMAX release for the first two episodes is unprecedented for a network television show, so a lot may depend on how Inhumans does in theaters. If it's a success in that first week, future collaborations between networks and IMAX may be forthcoming. If the revenue is underwhelming, this may have been the one and only time IMAX and a network will try to collaborate on a major event.
We'll have to wait and see. You can catch the first two episodes of Inhumans for the first time starting on August 31 in participating IMAX theaters. If you'd rather wait until it hits the small screen, tune in to ABC on September 29. New episodes will air on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET. For your other viewing options in the coming weeks, take a look at our fall TV premiere guide.
