15/70mm, 1:43, 1.9:1, single laser, dual laser, grand theaters… IMAX? It’s a name that’s become synonymous with large-format cinema releases, mainly reserved for big blockbuster franchises like Avatar, Star Wars, and Marvel. But it’s not just a catchall term for big-picture, big-sound, high-quality cinemas; it has a long history of experimenting with large format film. With a history spanning over a century (and counting), very few truly understand its legacy and innovation. Most film enthusiasts will blindly tell you to watch a film in IMAX whenever you get the chance, but is its popularity just a bubble that will burst?
The story of IMAX began in the 1920s, when artists wondered whether it would be possible to join several projectors and screens together to form a larger image, or to play several images in parallel. Most famously, Abel Gance’s epic, Napoleon (1927), played with this new idea. Developed with a new technology called Polyvision, the final act of the film expands to three joined screens, showing big battles and setpieces in all their glory. The technology was, as you can imagine, a real pain to show and maintain, causing many versions of the film to simply drop the ‘triptych’ sequence and show a single screen.
It wasn’t until the late 60s that similar ideas returned, where at the 1967 International and Universal Exposition, several groups came together to showcase their experimental projection formats, with two, six or even nine simultaneous images forming a single, larger idea. Among the group were most famously Graeme Ferguson and Roman Kroitor, who went on to found the IMAX corporation and develop their ideas into a commercial product.
The first IMAX films, Tiger Child (1970) and North of Superior (1971), were great successes in showcasing the new technology. Instead of traditional 70mm film with five vertical perforations, the IMAX films had 15 vertical perforations, effectively doubling the frame height. Specially designed IMAX cameras and projectors would run the film horizontally rather than vertically, and special platters would be developed to house the new film format.
The unique and expensive nature of the format led to its use for short films, usually non-fiction, at places like science museums, where specially designed screens could be installed to show the full height of the frame and deliver an immersive experience never before seen in a consumer format. It wasn’t until Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008) that a Hollywood feature film had scenes partially shot with 70mm IMAX cameras, and it won’t be until the release of The Odyssey (2026) that a Hollywood feature film will be entirely shot with 70mm IMAX cameras, and a brand new version at that.
As mentioned previously, IMAX can mean many things. Historically, as with the films mentioned, it means it was shot using IMAX cameras, with 15/70mm IMAX film, and released in a purpose-built ‘grand theater’ cinema with an aspect ratio of 1.43:1, which essentially means you’re getting a much taller image, almost square. As with the fall of analogue projection in theaters, and into the development of digital projection, IMAX effectively branched into two streams.
For the most part, digital IMAX projectors replaced analogue projectors and maintained the same aspect ratio, meaning you no longer saw projected film, but you still kept the full, tall, 1.43:1 aspect ratio in those same grand theaters. This came with its own challenges, as you needed two projectors, a dual-laser system, to maintain the full IMAX aspect ratio.
The most common digital version, however, is a more budget-friendly 1.9:1 format, a shorter aspect ratio than before, with either single laser or xenon projectors, offering lower visual clarity than dual-laser or 70mm projection. There are fewer than 100 ‘full’ IMAX 1.43:1 theatres left in the world, like the BFI IMAX in London and AMC Lincoln Square in New York, with the rest of the IMAX screens being the shorter 1.9:1, often coined ‘LieMAX.’ It’s not all bad, though. IMAX is still a stamp of quality, and even the cheaper ‘LieMAX’ projectors often deliver good visuals and let people see IMAX films with a slightly taller aspect ratio.
To the average cinema-goer, this is a lot to take in. If you’re confused about all the differences and what kind of IMAX your local IMAX cinema offers, that’s because IMAX doesn’t publish much of this data publicly. Details about the projector or screen are often gathered by asking the theater manager or projectionist, which is most likely because IMAX doesn’t want people with the shorter 1.9:1 screens to know they aren’t getting the full experience.
There used to be a somewhat definitive article containing this information, the now-deleted Wikipedia page titled ‘List of IMAX venues,’ which Wikipedia moderators deemed unnecessary, as the IMAX website contained a similar list. When the list was flagged for deletion, people wanting to keep it noted that the IMAX website version lacked technical information and was not as up to date as the community version.
Despite this, it was deleted, along with another attempt at a list titled ‘List of IMAX Venues With 15/70 or Laser Projectors,’ in an aim to make a more concise version to appease the moderators. You can read more of the lengthy and somewhat frustrating discussions about the pages here. Luckily, the list was archived on the Wayback Machine, and a new community effort is maintained on GitHub.
We are fortunate to have directors like Ryan Coogler, one of many filmmakers who are strong advocates of the IMAX experience. In his viral video around the release of his latest picture, Sinners (2025), Coogler, on behalf of Kodak, thoroughly and clearly explained all of this, which caused a surge in interest among people to seek out as many premium format versions of the film as possible.
Even before the video, people worldwide flocked to cinemas in droves to see Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023), breaking box office records and selling out screens for weeks in advance. Its whopping $975 million international box office run only benefits cinemas, which have long been struggling since the decline in audiences attending theaters and the rise of streaming that COVID brought. It is almost as if it is our last thread of hope for keeping the cinematic experience alive.
Another aspect to consider is the impact IMAX is having on cinema etiquette. It is no surprise that returning to cinemas post-COVID has blurred the boundaries of what is acceptable behaviour at a movie theater, deteriorating the idea that going on your phone or talking during the film is an absolute no-no. Fortunately, similar to what you would expect at an independent cinema, my visits to IMAX cinemas adhere to this “social contract” that we once knew, providing a more positive viewing experience that makes me want to go back to the theatre even more.
We are also seeing the emergence of massive marketing stunts with IMAX at the center. The Odyssey continues to make history with IMAX tickets for opening day being released a year in advance for purchase. It successfully generated even more of a buzz surrounding this film and sold out almost immediately. Yes, this is incredibly profitable for cinemas and builds a demand for the film itself. There is, however, a fear that IMAX could be turning cinema trips into what it feels like to go to a concert.
With tickets for opening day being resold on sites like StubHub and Ticketmaster at wildly inflated prices, we are entering an era where going to the cinema could become a luxury. As someone who experienced a childhood where watching a film in a theater was a family tradition every week, it saddens me that we are potentially heading towards a society where children will simply never have that in the same way.
Regardless of whether we will have this dramatic change to the cinema-going experience, we live in a world where streaming a film at home is vastly preferred to going to the theater. Research from 2024 shows that 62% of people are more likely to see a film on streaming, knowing that it played on IMAX screens. You read that right, on streaming. While there is no specific research that determines if this has a direct negative impact on ticket sales, we can definitely infer it. However, what can also be said is that audiences understand the grandiose associated with an IMAX release. Whether it is merely filmed for IMAX or specially shot on IMAX, the name alone offers a significant seal of approval for audiences, akin to a critically acclaimed director or actor. That is an impressive weight to hold!
But this weight does not just come from nowhere. There is a slight correlation between the quality of a feature and whether it is IMAX, more specifically, shot on IMAX. Films like Dune: Part One (2021), Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) have garnered both critical acclaim and mainstream popularity. Part of the reason why this is the case links back to the reason why IMAX was invented in the first place. Cast and crew members are continually inspired by what the artform offers.
Writer and director Denis Villeneuve talks about his films being “dreamed, designed, and shot thinking about IMAX,” and cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw describes working with IMAX cameras as “kind of an out-of-body experience.” To me, that is exactly why cinematic tools like this should exist — to help foster creativity in storytelling.
You cannot help but wonder if this is just a phase? Are we going to get tired or complacent with the IMAX experience? Nolan is, unequivocally, the biggest voice championing the spirit of IMAX innovation to make sure it doesn’t fizzle out. From his initial boundary-pushing experimentation in The Dark Knight all the way to now with him championing the innovation of new, quieter cameras for The Odyssey, that is over 18 years of this pursuit of the greatest form of cinema.
Yet it is the likes of the streaming services like Netflix who pose the most serious threat to IMAX, churning out content for the masses that can be consumed from the comfort of your own home whilst scrolling on your phone. When Nolan was asked in a 2017 interview if he would ever work with Netflix his response was “Well, why would you? If you make a theatrical film, it’s to be played in theaters.” As strongly as he feels about the streamer, you cannot ignore the fact that Netflix has hit astronomical levels of popularity and theaters, as a result, have struggled. It really is a battle between these two powerhouses of Hollywood to steer the direction of the future of cinema.
While we don’t know for certain what the answers to those questions are and what the future holds, what we can say is IMAX makes films exciting for both audiences and filmmakers, and as long as that continues to stay true, it’s here to stay for now.
Opinion Courtesy of Sol Coltman & Nandita Joshi