Dark Knight Rises gets a six-minute pre-release prologue

Warner Bros. has confirmed that there will be a special trailer for its upcoming Batman film, Dark Knight Rises.

Yes, a six-minute ‘prologue’, which covers the opening scenes of the film, will appear before showings of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, but only in select IMAX theaters.

Specifically, it will only appear in IMAX theaters which are still equipped with film projectors. 

The sequence will appear with the release of Ghost Protocol on December 16,  2011 (December 21, 2011 in the UK).

Warner Bros. was kind enough to compile a list of theaters for the press release:

North American Theaters –

  • Austin, TX – IMAX Theater Austin – Austin
  • Boston, MA – Jordan’s IMAX – Natick
  • Boston, MA – IMAX 3D Theatre in Reading – Reading
  • Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Theatre Chinook 16 – Calgary
  • Chantilly, VA/Washington, DC – Udvar-Hazy Center IMAX – Chantilly
  • Chicago, IL – Navy Pier IMAX Theatre – Chicago
  • Des Moines, IA – SCI IMAX Dome Theater – Des Moines
  • Detroit, MI – Henry Ford IMAX – Dearborn
  • Edmonton, AB – Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton – Edmonton
  • Harrisburg, PA – Whitaker Center for Science & the Arts – Harrisburg
  • Houston, TX – Houston Marq*e Stadium 22 + IMAX – Houston
  • Indianapolis – White River IMAX – Indianapolis
  • Los Angeles, CA – Irvine Spectrum 20 + IMAX – Irvine
  • Los Angeles, CA – RAVE 18 + IMAX – Los Angeles
  • Los Angeles, CA – Ontario Palace Stadium 22 + IMAX – Ontario
  • Los Angeles, CA – Citywalk Stadium 19 with IMAX – Universal City
  • Madison, WI – Star 18 Fitchburg with IMAX – Fitchburg
  • Miami, FL – AutoNation IMAX – Fort Lauderdale
  • Minneapolis, MN – Great Clips IMAX – Apple Valley
  • Montreal, QC – Cinema Banque Scotia Montreal – Montreal
  • Nashville,TN – Opry Mills Stadium 20 + IMAX – Nashville
  • New York, NY – Lincoln Square 13 with IMAX – New York
  • New York, NY – Palisades IMAX – West Nyack
  • Omaha, NE – Star Cinema 16 with IMAX – Council Bluffs
  • Orlando, FL – Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 + IMAX – Orlando
  • Ottawa, ON – Silvercity Gloucester + IMAX – Gloucester
  • Palm Springs – Desert IMAX Theatre – Cathedral City
  • Philadelphia, PA – IMAX & the Tropicana – Atlantic City
  • Philadelphia, PA – Tuttleman IMAX–Franklin Institute – Philadelphia
  • Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Mills 25 with IMAX – Tempe
  • Providence, RI – Providence Place 16 with IMAX – Providence
  • Quebec City, QC – IMAX Le Theatre At Quebec – Quebec City
  • Sacramento, CA – Esquire IMAX – Sacramento
  • San Antonio, TX – IMAX at RiverCenter – San Antonio
  • San Francisco, CA – Metreon 16 with IMAX & ETX – San Francisco
  • Seattle, WA – Boeing IMAX–Pacific Science Center – Seattle
  • Tampa, FL – Museum of Science and Industry – Tampa
  • Toronto, ON – Coliseum 12 Mississauga + IMAX – Mississauga
  • Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Theatre Toronto + IMAX – Toronto
  • Toronto, ON – Colossus 18 Woodbridge + IMAX – Woodbridge-Vaughan
  • Vancouver, BC – Colossus Langley + IMAX – Langley
  • Vancouver, BC – Silvercity Riverport 18 + IMAX – Richmond

UK Theaters –

  • UK – BFI London – London
  • UK – National Media Museum IMAX – Bradford
  • UK – Glasgow Science Centre IMAX Cinema – Glasgow
  • UK – Odeon Manchester IMAX @ The Printworks – Manchester

Other international showings may happen, but theaters and dates have not been announced yet.

“Our experience on ‘The Dark Knight’ shooting and projecting IMAX 15 perf 65mm/70mm film was inspiring,” Christopher Nolan explained an official statement.

“The immersive quality of the image goes beyond any other filmmaking tool available, and in revisiting Gotham, we were determined to shoot even more of the movie in this unique format. Giving the fans an early look at an IMAX sequence is a great way to draw attention to what I believe will be an incredible way to experience our story when it comes out next summer.”

Dark Knight Rises is the final film in Director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, and stars Christian Bale as Batman, Anne Hathaway as Cat Woman, and Tom Hardy as Bane. The film is slated to hit theaters July 20, 2012.