THE movie event of the summer - at least in our eyes - won't see the light of day in several Irish cities.

Sex and the City - The Movie opens here on May 30, but one of Ireland's biggest cineplex chains, IMC, says it will not distribute the film. It's not because of moral outrage over, say, Samantha's sexy antics, but rather a dispute with a British company that's handling the distribution.

"We do not have any plans to take in the film at all at the moment," said a spokesperson for the chain.

IMC runs cinemas in places like Dun Laoghaire in Dublin, and big Irish cities such as Mullingar, Dundalk and Tullamore. Fans of the iconic HBO series have been waiting a mighty long time for the film version, so they surely won't mind traveling a few extra miles to see if Carrie really does marry Big.