'Raiders of the Lost Ark' to Get Imax Rerelease

Paramount

"Raiders of the Lost Ark"

Raiders of the Lost Ark is heading back to the big screen -- but this time, it’s the really big screen.

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Paramount is re-releasing the classic 1981 adventure movie, directed Steven Spielberg, executive produced by George Lucas and starring Harrison Ford, in Imax theaters next month, ahead of a splashy debut on Blu-ray.

Paramount has not made any official announcement, but the movie already is popping up on various ticketing and theater websites as an attraction opening Sept. 7. Fandango, for example, has it listed at the AMC Century 15 in Imax for that date.

An announcement is expected this week, according to several sources, and website Screencrush reported that its sources confirmed the impending re-release. Paramount did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and it is unclear how wide a release is being planned and what sort of campaign the studio will mount.

The studio is releasing the Indiana Jones movie collection, titled Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures, for the first time on Blu-ray on Sept. 18. Spielberg was involved in the restoration process for the Blu-ray edition, and Paramount made sure the movies had a strong presence at this year’s Comic-Con, which included a display filled with live snakes.

Raiders introduced to audiences the archeologist-adventurer Indiana Jones (Ford). The movie has since gone on to take its place in history as one of the most celebrated films of all time.

The first film was followed by 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, featuring Sean Connery as Indy's father. Lucas, Spielberg and Ford returned for a fourth outing, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008.