A Classic Stephen King Adaptation Is Coming to IMAX for the First Time

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Forty years after it first came out, the critically acclaimed horror film The Shining is coming to IMAX. Directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on Stephen King’s novel, this 1980 classic will be even more terrifying on the big screen. Though it would have been ideal for Halloween, fans will need to wait until December to experience the Overlook Hotel like never before.

According to Gizmodo, special screenings will take place on December 12th in a few cities around the US. Tickets aren’t available yet, but you can sign up for updates on the official IMAX website. It’s currently unknown if there will be additional showings after December 12th, or if the movie will play in regular theaters.

Similar to several films by Stanley Kubrick, The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, wasn’t an immediate hit with audiences. Initial reviews ranged from unenthusiastic to negative, even earning it a couple of Razzie nominations. However, over time, the film gained recognition and is now considered one of the best horror movies ever made.

In Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Jack Torrance takes a job as the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel, nestled in the Colorado Rockies. He hopes the quiet solitude will give him time to write, but the hotel’s remoteness and ghostly inhabitants begin to take a toll. Jack, already struggling with inner demons, becomes increasingly susceptible to the hotel’s dark history and a malevolent presence that has lingered there for decades.

Is It Time to End the Battle Over ‘The Shining’?


Warner Bros.

Stephen King has always been disappointed with Stanley Kubrick’s film version of ‘The Shining.’ King’s original novel is a deeply personal story about an author struggling with addiction and his fears of hurting his son. However, the movie downplays these important themes, portraying Jack as simply a victim of the haunted hotel. King strongly disagreed with Kubrick’s interpretation, and their creative differences are now well-known in Hollywood lore.

It’s well-known that Stephen King wasn’t a fan of Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of The Shining, and that’s been talked about for decades. Mike Flanagan’s successful adaptation of King’s Doctor Sleep showed that both stories can work together on screen. Given that, perhaps it’s time, even for King himself, to recognize Kubrick’s film as a horror classic, even if it wasn’t a strict adaptation of the book. While many consider it a masterpiece, some still criticize it for straying from King’s original vision, with some even preferring the 1997 miniseries King wrote himself. Ultimately, everyone is entitled to their own perspective.

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2025-10-29 18:37