Last Friday week, the IMAX Vodafone Theatre's newest film release, 3D Mania - Encounter in the Third Dimension, was launched. The audience comprised a theatre-full of Sunday Times competition winners, who enjoyed a 3D-themed show by talented magician Brian Rolè which preceded the screening of the sensational film.

This is the third 3D film to grace IMAX's six-storey high screen and promises to be the most successful. Kate de Cesare, theatre director and marketing manager for Eden Leisure Group, stated: "We want to give the public what they want, a truly experiential film that will take you on a wild journey into the world of 3D and make you stagger out of the theatre. More than a film, 3D Mania is a thrill-ride - filled to the brim with special effects, a definite 10 in the 'wow factor' scale!"

Deo Grech, a competition winner who attended the premiere, said: "Thanks for the great experience! I had already watched other films at IMAX: namely, Into the Deep, Everest and T-Rex. But I can say that 3D Mania is by far the best!"

According to Eric German, film critic of The Sunday Times, "projectiles donít just burst out of the screen towards you, they dangle teasingly in front of your face as if to provide you into reaching out for them". Mr German, whose review was published last Sunday, added: "The 3D imagery in Encounter in the Third Dimension is simply stunning: a clever coupling of the latest technological advances with the huge size of the IMAX screen to provide a spectacle the sheer visual mastery of which dazzles the senses."

The film was followed by a wine reception in the IMAX lobby, where guests enjoyed fine wines by Marsovin.