What's cooler than seeing a giant sea turtle up close in the wild? Watching a giant sea turtle in 3-D on a nine-story-tall Imax screen while sucking down popcorn and a Sprite. This shot required the makers of Deep Sea 3D to lug a special 1,200-pound stereo-vision camera 150 feet below the surface. Going to such extreme measures has helped recent Imax releases snap up box office returns that rival those of Hollywood pictures. The prequel to Deep Sea, Into the Deep, cost less than $5 million to produce, and has grossed $69 million in its 11-year run. Overall, Imax revenue jumped 35 percent last year (compare that with Hollywood's 6 percent drop in box office). As Imax co-CEO Brad Wechsler explains, "We're giving the consumer a reason to get off the couch." - Sonia Zjawinski

IMAX BY THE NUMBERS:

Introduced: 1971

Films released that year: 1

Films released last year: 5

Total box office in 2005: $63 million

Total screens worldwide: 250

Largest screens in the US: 76 x 98 feet

Length of the average giant sea turtle: 6 feet



credit:Deep Sea 3D

This shot required the makers of Deep Sea 3D to lug a special 1,200-pound stereo-vision camera 150 feet below the surface.

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