`SUPERMAN' SUPERSIZED SPECIAL VERSION INCLUDES IMAX 3-D SCENES.

Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ Staff Writer

Superman is not just bigger than life to the citizens of Metropolis. In the IMAX 3-D version of ``Superman Returns,'' the Man of Steel is really big: eight stories high and 120 feet wide.

On Tuesday, 57 IMAX theaters presented sold-out shows of ``Superman'' with four scenes totaling 20 minutes in 3-D.

At regular theaters, there are no 3-D scenes. But at IMAX theaters, audiences are given a subtle signal at the bottom of the screen to put on special glasses when the 3-D portions, hand-picked by director Bryan Singer, are about to play.

In all, 110 IMAX theaters worldwide are playing the 3-D version with 77 of those screens in the U.S. It's the widest release ever for an IMAX film.

``It's the first time we've ever taken a live-action Hollywood picture and converted it into IMAX 3-D,'' said Greg Foster, chairman and president of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. ``It's the perfect movie with the perfect director and the perfect partner in Warner Bros.''

IMAX and Warner Bros. have collaborated on several films in recent years including on a 3--D version of the animated film ``The Polar Express.''

``We love working with Warner Bros. because they just get it,'' Foster said. ``They recognize that you need some showmanship to help differentiate your movie, and we really value the partnership we've built with them.''

Warner Bros. Domestic Distribution President Dan Fellman said that with the IMAX ``Superman,'' the two companies are entering ``uncharted waters.''

``We're really excited about it,'' Fellman said. ``It looks so good, and it's a unique and fun experience. I think it's going to give us a real additional boost at the box office.''

The four 3-D sequences are: a shuttle airplane disaster sequence near the start of the movie; a sea rescue scene, a flashback when Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent, realizes he has special powers for the first time; and finally, the movies' finale.

To be able to fit on the giant screen, the movies are remastered for the giant screen with IMAX's DMR process, which allows a movie to be enlarged.

Such Warner Bros. releases as ``Express,'' ``Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,'' ``Batman Begins,'' ``The Matrix Reloaded'' and the Harry Potter franchise have all seen multimillion-dollar boosts to their box office returns by being released, sometimes simultaneously, on giant IMAX screens.

``Express'' was off to a sluggish box office start a year ago but ended up being a major hit, partly due to the popularity of the IMAX 3-D version of the film, which grossed $45 million worldwide. ``Polar'' ended up grossing $160 million domestically.

The IMAX version of ``Batman Begins'' contributed nearly $17 million to the $205 million gross and about $15 million to the $204.5 million earned by ``Charlie.'' Both films were 2-D releases.

``What it does that is important and necessary for a business that in the last three years has had its box office challenges, is to up the ante a bit,'' said Foster. ``We've been able to constantly innovate and to provide moviegoers with an experience they can't replicate at home.''