THIS PLANET IS ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT. Matthew McConaughey stars
in the new film Interstellar.

Turns out Christopher Nolan, the director and producer of psych-thriller films like Memento, Inception and of course, the hugely popular Dark Knight trilogy, is a bit of a classic film nerd. Starting Nov. 4, Nolan’s newest effort, the Matthew McConaughey space-travel epic Interstellar, will screen early in 240 locations across the U.S. and Canada in 70mm IMAX, 70mm, and 35mm, but only in theaters capable of screening those specific types of film, which includes the Micon Cinemas theater in Chippewa Falls. Two days later, the film opens wide in 4K and IMAX digital screenings.

Luckily, the Chippewa Falls Micon theater held onto its 35mm projection equipment. While they didn’t necessarily intend to use it, Micon owner Mike Olson said they kept it around because you just never know.

“We just decided, ‘Maybe someday …’ – so we left two of them intact with the platters and projectors, etc.,” Olsen said. “We haven’t used it for a couple years.” The film was shot on 35mm anamorphic film and 65mm IMAX so this is a way to see the filming and screening formats coalesce into the true way Nolan’s film is supposed to be seen.

“Christopher Nolan is not new to the industry,” Olson said. “He literally wants it to be shown the way it was meant to be, so we’re excited to offer that to our customers.”

(In case you were wondering, the film, which stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Michael Caine, is about a crew from Earth that travels among the stars with the aid of a wormhole.)

In a statement, Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Picture said, “To see Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar on the big screen is an unforgettable movie-going experience. From IMAX to traditional film and digital projection, we are pleased that audiences will have the opportunity to see this awe-inspiring film in a wide variety of formats, and we are very excited to be making the film available two days early for moviegoers.”

Interstellar early 35mm screenings • Micon Cinemas (Chippewa Falls only) • 475 Chippewa Mall Drive, #215, Chippewa Falls  • Starting Nov. 4 at 8pm • standard ticket costs apply