‘Game of Thrones’ to screen in IMAX theaters

“Game of Thrones” is easily one of television’s most sprawling series but now it’s going even bigger.

HBO announced Tuesday that the final two episodes from the fourth season of the epic fantasy drama will screen in IMAX theaters for one week beginning Jan. 23. They will be followed by a trailer for Season 5, which is scheduled to premiere this spring.

HBO said it will be the first television network to feature its programming in IMAX theaters. Both episodes have been digitally remastered to conform to the large-screen, high-resolution, which creates a more immersive audio and visual experience for audiences.

“The cinematic brilliance and grand scope of the series is perfect for the IMAX format,” said Pamela Levine, chief marketing officer at HBO, in a press release.

The episodes in question certainly qualify as “cinematic.” Season 4’s penultimate hour, “The Watchers on the Wall” takes place entirely at the Wall and Castle Black, where a fierce battle, complete with mammoths, giants and enormous swinging scythes, ensues between the Night’s Watch and an army of Wildlings. Season finale “The Children” features the aftermath of the battle and a memorable fight sequence between Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) and the Hound (Rory McAnn).

Based on a series of novels by George R.R. Martin, “Game of Thrones” has become the most-watched series in HBO history, with an average audience of 18.4-million viewers tuning in to Season 4.

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