Twenty years after “Forrest Gump” turned Mobile into a household name across the globe, the movie is heading back to the big screen in a newly remastered IMAX format — but not in the city where its story is set. That has the film’s Point Clear-based author, Winston Groom, shaking his head.
Paramount is bringing “Forrest Gump: The IMAX Experience” to theaters for a one-week run beginning September 5, marking two decades since the Tom Hanks film swept six Academy Awards and became one of the highest-grossing movies ever made. For Gulf Coast residents hoping to catch the anniversary release close to home, the nearest options will be an AMC screen in Montgomery or a theater in Destin, Florida.
Mobile’s only IMAX screen, the J.L. Bedsole IMAX Dome Theater at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, will sit this one out. Exploreum staff say the dome-style projection used at the museum isn’t compatible with the standard IMAX format used for the rerelease, and retrofitting the equipment to handle feature-length films would mean a costly upgrade running into tens of thousands of dollars. The theater’s shorter show format and its focus on educational, all-ages programming also make Hollywood features a poor fit, according to the museum’s marketing team.
Groom, who still calls the Mobile Bay area home, said he understands the practical reasons but still finds the timing tough to swallow. He recalled watching the film for the first time at a hometown screening in 1994, packed with friends and Mobile’s mayor at the time. Decades later, he says, the story remains inseparable from its setting — and locals, he argues, ought to have a chance to see the anniversary cut on a big screen without leaving the region.
Fairhope will get its own moment with the milestone regardless. Bookseller Karin Wilson of Page & Palette is hosting “An Evening with Winston Groom” on September 26 at The Venue in downtown Fairhope, featuring a shrimp boil, a live set from the band Cornbread performing music from the film’s soundtrack, and an on-stage conversation between Groom and longtime friend Jimbo Meador. Tickets include a signed, commemorative hardcover edition of the novel.
For a story that put Mobile on the map for millions of moviegoers worldwide, the anniversary is turning into a reminder that Baldwin County’s literary and cultural scene, rather than a movie screen, may be where the hometown celebration really happens this year.