Olympics opening ceremony to screen in Imax theaters

March 22 (UPI) -- The Paris Summer Olympics opening ceremony is coming to Imax.

Imax announced in a press release Friday that NBC coverage of the opening ceremony will be shown live at more than 150 locations nationwide July 26.

The big-screen event marks the first time an Olympics opening ceremony will be presented live in Imax.

This year's ceremony will take place along the River Seine and feature a four-mile-long flotilla of nearly 100 boats, which "will carry thousands of athletes from more than 200 countries past hundreds of thousands of spectators seated on the banks of the Seine."

The river parade will follow the Seine past iconic Paris sites, including Austerlitz Bridge and the Jardin des Plantes, and finish in front of the Trocadéro, where the final elements of the show and ceremony will take place.

Singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson, retired professional football player Peyton Manning and Sunday Night Football announcer Mike Tirico were announced to host the opening ceremony last week.

"We look forward to providing our Opening Ceremony coverage to audiences at IMAX locations across the country, sharing in this historic moment as the world regathers to witness the spectacular beginning of 16 days of athletic greatness against the backdrop of one of the most beautiful cities in the world," NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel said.

On March 29, Imax theaters will begin showing an NBCUniversal trailer for its coverage of the Olympics.

The Paris Summer Olympics will run July 26 through Aug. 11. Tirico and Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon will host the closing ceremony.