Indiana Jones Digitally Remastered in IMAX Version Of 'Raiders'

Steven Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is making its IMAX debut for one-week only. The Indiana Jones movie will run on the big screen prior to the release of the digitally restored version of "Raiders" on Blu-Ray, claims the Hollywood Reporter.

Spielberg and sound designer Ben Burtt oversaw the restoration of the Academy Award winning adventure film for the IMAX and Blu-Ray editions. Executive producer George Lucas has also been known to remaster classic films that his name is attached to the projects.

Despite the films age, originally being released in 1981, "Raiders" will be up to par with other IMAX films. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film will meet the sound and image quality standards of other IMAX films with Imax DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology.

Tickets are available Friday for the re-release of the film on Sept. 7 in the U.S., and Sept. 21 in the UK on IMAX.com. The Harrison Ford classic will be released on Blu-Ray Sept. 18, following a short theatrical run.

"When I saw the stunning quality of the picture and heard the enhanced sound in an IMAX theatre, I was quite literally blown away," Spielberg told the Hollywood Reporter. "[I] hope that audiences will enjoy the experience as much as I did."

Greg Foster, Chairman & President, of IMAX Filmed Entertainment, told Screen Rant "We are honored to present all the excitement of Indiana Jones in a way it's never been experienced before -- IMAX." He added that, "We look forward to celebrating this iconic film with longtime fans as well as a new generation of moviegoers."

Along with the IMAX version of "Raiders," AMC movie theaters will be screening the entirety of Indy adventures. A screening of all four films, including "Crystal Skull," will begin on Sept. 15 at 10:30 a.m. and cost $25 at several AMC theaters, according to Screen Rant.

At the 54th annual Academy Awards, the adventure film won Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction and Best Sound Effects Editing. Spielberg's movie was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Cinematography at the 1982 Oscars.

Lucas is well known for altering other Lucasfilm LTD productions, like the original Star Wars Trilogy. The Star Wars saga as a whole has been reworked several times, with different theatrical and home video releases; the most recent being the 3D re-release of "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace."

Spielberg has also previoulsy reworked his acclaimed films. He remastered "E. T. the Extra Terrestrial" in 2002 for the films 20^th anniversary. The newer version of the film was criticized for the liberties it took -- for instance, removing the word "terrorist" from the film and replacing firearms with walky-talkies -- according to the Digital Flix.