Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa is not even in theaters yet and it’s already breaking records, of a sort. DreamWorks Animation announced this morning that when the movie opens on Friday it will do so in a record-breaking number of IMAX theaters, in addition to showings on thousands of regular theater screens.

In total, the film will be available in 130 IMAX theaters, 35 of which are equipped with the new whiz-bang IMAX digital projection system. That’s more IMAX showings than ever delivered by any other film, and it demonstrates the level of interest Hollywood seems to have in pushing further and further into IMAX technology. Madagascar 2 is the second of five movies which DreamWorks Animation plans to release in the format. The next three will be not only in IMAX but also in 3D. Those are Monsters vs. Aliens (March 2009), How to Train Your Dragon (March 2010), and Shrek Goes Fourth (May 2010).

Of course for most of you, this is utterly meaningless since IMAX locations are generally hard to come by unless you happen to live in a sprawling metropolis. Or if you’re like me, you live in a sprawling metropolis, but on the wrong side of it, leaving an hour drive to the nearest IMAX theater. Hard to justify when there’s a perfectly serviceable theater with perfectly serviceable projection and lower ticket prices just down the block.

If you can find it and you can afford it though, there’s no better way to see a movie than in IMAX. Even if that movie is Madagascar 2.