By Brian Marder, Hollywood.com Staff

Director Christopher Nolan is very excited about moviegoers' interest in IMAX technology, and such moviegoers should be excited about his excitement, because when The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 20, it'll contain over an hour of IMAX footage — the most ever for a mainstream production.

In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Nolan says that his IMAX enthusiasm dates back to childhood, when he would go to science museums to specifically seek out such films — and marvel at the audience's reaction: ""I remember looking at the audience every time a helicopter banked, and everyone was leaning slightly to the side. I had never seen an audience so immersed in a film.""

And while Nolan's final installment in his own Batman trilogy isn't the only summer movie to feature such scenes, it is the lone film shot with IMAX-ready cameras: Surefire blockbusters The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, Men in Black 3, Dark Shadows and Prometheus were all merely converted to IMAX — much the same way many ""3D"" movies were during that technology's recent boom.

More:

'The Avengers' IMAX Trailer: Do You Believe in Heroes?

First 'Dark Knight Rises' Trailer Will Run Before 'The Avengers'

'The Dark Knight Rises' Nabs PG-13 Rating

[WSJ]