Regal Entertainment, which owns the theater, began construction this month to convert one of its screens to the IMAX format, company spokesman Chad Browning said.

The rest of the theater will remain open during the construction, and work should be completed by late August.

IMAX theaters are growing in popularity as more Hollywood movies are released in 3-D, and the public demand for such films increases despite the fact that IMAX movie tickets command a steeper price. The only IMAX option in the Triangle is at the Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh.

Browning would not disclose the cost of the project, but the National Association of Theater Owners estimates the cost of building an IMAX theater from scratch at $1 million.

Regal operates 45 IMAX screens in its 546 theatersnationwide.

Browning did not rule out the addition of other IMAX screens in the Triangle. Regal also owns the theaters at North Hills and Brier Creek in Raleigh, White Oak in Garner, Beaver Creek in Apex and the Timberlyne 6 in Chapel Hill.

"It depends on demand," he said. "Your larger [markets] are typically the areas that would have multiple IMAX screens.

It depends on population and if an area can support multiple IMAX screens."