High hopes for 'Toy Story 3' on IMAX

LOS ANGELES (CNN) - So far, it's been more of a "lackluster" than "blockbuster" summer movie season. But Hollywood hopes the third "Toy Story" film will bring "Buzz Lightyear to the rescue" with its upgraded 3-D and IMAX powers.

In the grip of a marketing blitz, "Toy Story 3 " is being released by Disney/Pixar in cinemas across the United States on Friday. Expectations are running high after a sluggish start to the summer blockbusters season when Hollywood earns more than 40 percent of its box office .

"A lot is being put into 'Toy Story 3' to really put an emphasis on going back to the movies and getting the box office back on track. This could potentially be [the] first Pixar movie to open with $100 million so everyone is looking at this as a very important and pivotal movie for the summer season," said Paul Dergarabedian, Editor, Hollywood.com .

The film is being shown in 3-D which is enjoying a renaissance in the walk of films like "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland." And it is being shown in IMAX , which projects sharper images onto curved, room-filling screens, luring viewers away from DVDs in recent years.

"I think there are so many movies coming out, they say 'it's an IMAX it must be really special,' and I think since we do deliver a premium experience, it's so awesome and awe-inspiring," said Richard Gelfond, IMAX CEO.

At their U.S. headquarters in California, IMAS staff are preparing to distribute the latest "Twilight" film, "Eclipse." Dozens of rolls of film are still used for one movie, but that is changing. IMAX films can now be stored on smaller, cheaper hard drives and then transferred onto digital projectors, making it quicker and cheaper to get movies to the marketplace.

But quantity doesn't equal quality, and critics warn audiences won't turn out if the story isn't compelling. Gelfond says technology is opening up new possibilities.

"More and more it's become the filmmakers. So to use Tim Burton, when he did 'Alice in Wonderland,' he said 'I wanted an IMAX.' Chris Nolan, when he did the 'Dark Knight,' filmed half an hour with IMAX special cameras because he was passionate about it. If you were a filmmaker and you could paint on the most impressive screen in the world, why not take out your brush," said Gelfond.

IMAX tickets come at a premium, but Hollywood is banking on audiences paying up.