If you find yourself in Burbank later this month, you might want to make time for a screening of G.I. Joe: Retaliation. According to Christie, the AMC Theatres Burbank 16 multiplex will be showing the movie in stereo 3D the way 3D ought to be seen — with a full 14 foot-lamberts of illumination across a 65-foot-wide screen. Typically, 3D screenings have a brightness level of 5 foot-lamberts at best.

Christie is laser-projecting the film for two weeks only, starting March 28, in a bid to impress moviegoers with the enhanced clarity of 3D images projected at a level of brightness generally associated only with 2D presentations. "Laser projection provides incredible brightness, making each film look all the greater, but its impact on 3D is startling," said Paramount EVP of World Wide Operations Mark Christiansen in a prepared statement. 

"Audiences who attend the AMC Burbank 16 during the laser demonstration will see a significant increase in the typical contrast ratio for 3D on a crystal-clear 4K projector," according to Christie's senior director of product management, Don Shaw.

While the G.I. Joe sequel will mark the first public theatrical screenings using laser projection technology, the industry got a taste of it at IBC last year, when Hugo was screened using Christie's system. 

The demo will have to be pretty spectacular to get the attention of an exhibition industry that's heavily invested in the current generation of digital projection equipment, but it's widely agreed that dim pictures are the biggest drawback of current stereo projection technology.