IMAX and the Future of Cinema
In my own opinion, there is no better way to see a movie than seeing it in an IMAX theater. Right now, we are seeing more and more movies being advertised with “shot on IMAX cameras,” or something advertising the premium format. This year’s best picture winner Oppenheimer, was shot exclusively with IMAX cameras for an all immersive experience, and Dune: Part 2 was the same. This may leave you with some questions: what is IMAX? Is it really different from seeing a movie in a regular theater? Luckily for you, I am here to answer all of your questions.
IMAX theaters are specially designed so you never want to watch a movie a different way again. According to the Nashville Film Institute, “IMAX is a firm that manufactures high resolution lenses, film codecs, projectors and movie theater equipment.” The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into an IMAX theater is the size of the screen. Screen sizes vary depending on the theater you go to, but no matter which one it is, the screen is sure to go from the floor to the ceiling.
When a movie is shot in IMAX, you can literally see more than the normal movie. A standard movie is formatted like your TV. A standard TV has a 16:9 aspect ratio that creates those black bars on the top and bottom of your screen. When a movies is shot in IMAX formatting, it’s formatted in 1.43:1 or 1.90:1. This creates more of a square rather than a rectangle that you typically see. Honestly, the difference in the IMAX ratios is so small that it doesn’t even matter which you see it in.
More and more directors today are choosing to shoot their movies exclusively in IMAX. Award winning directors like Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, and Jordan Peele are all choosing to go with this exclusive format. As of now, Oppenheimer and Dune: Part 2 have grossed over a combined $1.6 billion and 20% of that has come from IMAX sales. Directors seem to know the pull that IMAX movies have. To me, when a movie is advertised as a must see in IMAX, I have to see it in IMAX.
There is hype around seeing a movie on the largest screen possible, and I have yet to be let down. Now this does not mean I see every movie in IMAX. Certain ones are a must see, but the standard movie theater can handle the vast majority of movies that come out. IMAX even has a rule that if a movie is shot with IMAX cameras, that movie will have an exclusive, uninterrupted, three week run playing in their theaters.
Unfortunately, there is a drawback to seeing a movie in IMAX. Tickets are not cheap even when you go to a regular movie theater, and it gets worse when you see a movie in IMAX. The typical movie ticket is about $15 compared to the typical IMAX ticket is roughly $25. Money is tight for a lot of people right now and many don’t even have the spare $15 to go see a movie on a Friday night. That’s the main reason I don’t see more movies in IMAX. Tickets aren’t cheap, even for me who has a subscription to Regal’s unlimited movie pass, it still charges me extra to see an IMAX movie.
If you’re like me and want to see as many movies as possible, look ahead at the release calendar, choose a movie or two that you’d want to see in IMAX and see everything else at a standard theater. With more and more directors to film with exclusively IMAX cameras, IMAX may become more popular than ever. Hopefully this will increase the amount of IMAX screens around the world that are capable of delivering that kind of experience, but for now IMAX remains an exclusive, and expensive way to see a movie, but definitely worth it for some.
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