UPDATE: 

Cinemark announced today (October 27, 2025) that it is restoring the Seven Bridges IMAX to 70MM (and potentially upgrading the digital xenon to 4k laser - details to come on what kind specifically).    This location is set to install the "new 70mm film projection system" by the time Chris Nolan's The Odyssey is set to release in theaters.

THIS IS HUGE NEWS!!!!!!!!  We want to thank Cinemark for taking the pleas of the Chicago and midwestern cinephiles seriously and for restoring this GT to its former glory. 

However, we're going to continue to fight for a state-of-the-art IMAX facility within the city limits of Chicago.  While this is a massive achievement for folks with the means to get out to the suburbs, this is still a little bit of a hike to get out there for our friends that rely on public transit (which is many, many folks in our great city).  There was a time where Chicagoland boasted at least THREE 1.43:1 IMAX screens.  This project still believes that Chicago deserves a modern, massive IMAX screen and projection system that rivals those in NYC and LA as a major cinema hub of the midwest.  We hope you continue to sign and share this petition, and we hope theater chains see this news as a sign that the movie market in Chicago is alive and well!  

the elevator pitch:

Chicago needs a large, state-of-the art IMAX facility capability of presenting 1.43:1 aspect ratio movies both in 4k laser projection and on 15/70MM film, in a centralized, accessible location for residents of the city and tourists alike to be able to visit, access by public transit efficiently or park at (reasonably affordably), preferably part of a multiplex for multiple revenue streams to support the investment. 

This petition is asking IMAX to partner/license its projection systems to a theater chain or independent backer to open the new facility in the city limits of Chicago. This petition is also asking relevant city officials for support in this venture in the future.

this is not a petition to reopen Navy Pier's IMAX.

the backstory: 

It was just a short time ago that Chicago had a state-of-the-art IMAX facility (close to) downtown: the Navy Pier IMAX.  This was a massive screen, over 5,000 square feet in size and had just been upgraded in recent years to be capable of displaying dual laser 4K projection, featuring the best in class IMAX projection across the entire midwest region.

But unfortunately, this IMAX theater closed in 2020 during the quarantine caused by COVID.  It wasn't only COVID, however, that was the reason for this theater's demise - it suffered from lack of attendance generally, likely due to it being at a pretty difficult location for a movie theater.  See, Navy Pier is not an ideal place to put a single screen, expensive commercial movie theater. It's primarily a tourist destination, so relying on the regular Chicago population attendance was going to be incredibly difficult (and expensive) ask.  Additionally, it was also not the type of space where tourists would be interested in just popping in for upwards of a three hour movie (which is also up-charged for the IMAX cost) while they are exploring the other sights and adventures on the Pier.   Additionally, Navy Pier is a pier off of the city (literally on the water) and incredibly inconvenient and difficult for people to get to, so even bringing in tourists from out of town just to see an "event movie" would be too much of an ask.  The Navy Pier IMAX was always doomed to fail - the AMC hardship during the days of the quarantine were just the final nail in its coffin. 

the problem today:

And so Chicago remains without what fans deem a "true IMAX" (aka one that can display a picture at a 1.43:1 aspect ratio, whether projected with an IMAX 15/70 film projector, or a dual laser 4K projection system, or any sort of new digital projection system that may be in the works) to this day.  Instead, as of the date of posting this petition, the city of Chicago has:

• one (1) retrofitted IMAX in operation at Regal City North (using a single laser projection, only capable of projecting 1.90:1 aspect ratio), with a screen only 1500 square feet (a quick scale comparison below to the former Navy Pier screen, and using the Bean as reference)
  • 
• one (1) retrofitted IMAX currently being renovated at AMC Roosevelt yet to open (will use a single laser projection, 1.90:1 aspect ratio), screen size TBD.

The closest possible theaters that Chicago residents can see a "true IMAX" are in Indianapolis and Grand Rapids, each requiring a 3 hour drive (and a reminder here that many Chicago residents do not own cars for this to even be a viable trip).   Each of those two venues do not yet have dual laser projections capable of 1.43 digital projection and can only project 1.43 when presenting 70MM (per this current IMAX venues list database). Outside of the city limits, Chicago has few other proper IMAX options: other grand theater-level IMAX screens, which chose to invest in cheaper 2K digital projectors in the wake of the Navy Pier's investment in dual laser, have either since closed (Regal Lincolnshire [which may still have parts for a 15/70MM projector, by the way]) or are uninterested in continuing to invest in IMAX (Cinemark Seven Bridges, rumored because they are investing in other, lesser PLFs). 

the pitch:

Chicago needs a new, state-of-the-art IMAX screen to replace the one at Navy Pier (though not located at Navy Pier) to be in market with the IMAX screens at AMC Lincoln Square in NYC and the Universal City Walk Screen in LA.  This theater should include both  (1) the latest digital projection technology (dual laser or otherwise, achieving the 1.43:1 aspect ration the Navy Pier IMAX previously had),  and  (2) a 15/70 film projector (also replacing the one Navy Pier still had when it closed).

The following are a handful of reasons why this would be a valuable investment for IMAX, the city of Chicago, and any other theater chain or independent investor willing to jump on this:

• Chicago is the third largest city in the country, with a population of close to 3 million people in the city limits alone.  
  • The Chicago metropolitan area is estimated to include a popultation of approximately 10 million people.  
  • The cinephiles of this market are all currently traveling out of state, whether it's Indiana, Michigan, or even as far as trips to NYC or LA to see large event presentations.
• Chicago as a population of cinephiles: Chicagoans love films and are willing and able to show up to the movies. 
  • At the end of June - early July 2025, the Music Box Theatre estimated that approximated 10,000 people attended their Studio Ghibli fest alone. 
  • During the course of those weeks, Chicagoans were also showing up in droves to see blockbuster releases at the other movie theaters in the area, such as F1 and Jurassic World Rebirth.
  • Even still, the upcoming Music Box 70MM fest already has showings of films selling out,  including Ryan Coogler's Sinners, purely because it's finally being presented to Chicago on film (and not even IMAX film). The city and suburbs are a diverse area interested in seeing a wide array of films in many different formats.  
  • Chicago hosts an International Film Festival on an annual basis that last year celebrated its 60th anniversary and brought in many film makers and stars, including Academy Award nominee Brady Corbet and the Chicago debut of The Brutalist, John David Washington, Mike Myers, and more. 
• This screen as a destination screen: the entire midwest has been under-served since Navy Pier lost its IMAX screen, not just the greater Chicago metropolitan area.  There are no operational "grand theaters" presenting commercial films in Wisconsin, Iowa, or Minnesota. These are potential additional film markets to bring in, especially for "event film" presentations, such as a 70MM IMAX presentation like The Odyssey.  
• The increase of the "informed moviegoer" and the desire for experiences:  with the virality of the Coogler 10 Minute Kodak Explainer and other tools online, more and more moviegoers are learning about different film formats than just the handful of cult film nerds.  That, combined with recent inflation and recession concerns, and with the FOMO/experience driven consumer-base, consumers are incredibly interested in making sure they are getting the experience they are paying for.  They want the "true IMAX" experience that they are hearing their friends online in other parts of the country.  They're seeing limited events being released, and to their shock, Chicago - a MAJOR city - is mysteriously not on the list.  This is an entire market of people that is being missed by IMAX simply because Chicago doesn't have the space for it.
• The investment in Chicago shouldn’t end with filmmaking: Chicago and filmmakers alike have invested in the utilization of this city for the making of film and television and is now a critical part of the industry on the front end.  Of course, most notably from an IMAX perspective is Christopher Nolan, who used Chicago as the backdrop for Gotham City in The Dark Knight.  Illinois continues to subsidize filmmaking in the state, proposals are popping up for more studios in the area, and more. As the state invests in and earns more revenue from the filmmaking process its, it should in turn be met with a matching facility to premiere and display those works. 

This campaign started as a hobby by the petition starter over the last several years but was recently formalized into an actual project over the last several months.  To learn more, please check out:

• Website
• Twitter
• Bluesky

Chicagoans deserve world-class moviegoing experience in the same way LA and NYC have (they even have it multiple times over in each, in fact).  It's time for IMAX to re-invest in Chicago, and Chicago will re-invest in IMAX.