It's the largest movie screen in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but it's going dark as of this weekend.

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That's right, Minnesota's largest movie screen is closing. I'm talking about the IMAX Theatre at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley. The Zoo sent a letter to its members last week that said the big screen's last day will be this Sunday, January 27th.

According to this Star-Tribune story, the IMAX screen there at the Zoo first opened over 20 years ago, back in 1997. It stands 7 stories tall, and is 100 feet wide. Yeah, that's pretty big. The theatre showed regular and 3-D movies, including educational films along with some of today's wide-release films.

So why is it closing? Well, the story said those reasons aren't entirely clear. The Zoo doesn't actually own the theatre-- IMAX does, and none of the profits from the theatre went to the Zoo, so the Zoo isn't commenting, either.

And IMAX itself didn't comment on the closing, either, the story said. Some in the story speculate that because even though it has the biggest screen in the North Star State, it doesn't have any of the other amenities that other theatres have these days-- like big, comfortable, reclining seats, and expanded concessions.

Of course, you don't have to go to the Twin Cities to see a movie on the IMAX screen-- Rochester's own Marcus Theatres has one right here in the Med City. Or, there's still another big IMAX screen at the Minnesota Children's Museum in St. Paul too.

Listen to Curt St. John from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick Country 96.5
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