LOS ANGELES — Imagine watching your favourite television epic, but on a much bigger screen. That is what fans of Game Of Thrones in America got to do when IMAX screened an episode of the series over the weekend. Though the fantasy series’ IMAX debut did not set any box office records, it will probably be the first of many similar experiments.

Its US$1.5 million (S$2 million) box office takings is impressive, given that the episodes that IMAX screened aired months ago. The only major incentive Game Of Thrones aficionados had — besides the allure of a communal experience with ticket buyers able to rattle off the Seven Kingdoms at the drop of a hat — was a preview of the show’s fifth season.

“It’s a very healthy result,” said Phil Contrino, vice-president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. “If you put a season premiere or series finale there, I think there’s a lot of potential, especially if there’s some exclusive element.”

Contrino and other analysts think the numbers would have been bigger with fresher content. Audiences, for example, could turn out in force if IMAX or cinemas showed episodes from their favourite shows in conjunction with or before their air date. For its part, IMAX is positioning this as a test case, while reserving the right to alter the formula going forward.

“This was a successful response for this first experiment and Game Of Thrones is a show that lends itself to the kind of canvas that IMAX provides,” said Greg Foster, chairman and president of IMAX Entertainment. “We will continue to experiment and comb over the data and figure out how to provide exhibitors with content 52 weeks out of the year.”

Of course, not every show will work. The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family may be ratings juggernauts, but they do not necessarily lend themselves to the kind of theatrical experience IMAX provides. There was, however, one element that IMAX did not count on, revenue-wise: The unexpected success of American Sniper. The war film earned US$31.8 million in its third weekend of release, but showing Game Of Thrones forced IMAX to surrender venues it could have used to show American Sniper. It may have been worth it, however, because IMAX will probably find other cable networks and television players eager to partner on special events tied to their hottest programmes.

“This is a lab and we’re continuing to fine-tune and find the right way to release content,” said Foster.

If that experiment works, we could eventually watch our favourite TV show here on Imax too. Reuters