- “Never Compromise”
- ―Tagline
IMAX is a motion-picture film format and a set of cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems. Since 2002, some feature films have been converted (or upgraded) into IMAX format for display in IMAX theaters and some have also been partially shot in IMAX.
Involvement with Disney[]
Walt Disney Pictures became the first studio to release theatrical films in the IMAX process. Released on New Year's Day in 2000, Fantasia 2000 was the studio's first IMAX release and the first theatrical feature to be presented in IMAX theaters. It was originally planned as a standard theatrical release, but in agreeing with the company to release the film, the IMAX sound system incorporated a multi-channel and multi-layer stereo system for the orchestrated soundtrack, similar to the Fantasound system Walt Disney used for the original film decades ago. The company agreed to Disney's terms and conditions to gain the exclusive first showings of the film. These included a limited engagement of 4 months (from January 1 to April 30) and 50% of the box office receipts. Not all IMAX cinemas were prepared to accept Disney's terms to present the film; however, following the IMAX release, a standard 35mm run followed in June at regular theaters. Although Fantasia 2000 had a luke-warm financial run, the critical praise for its use of the IMAX format convinced Disney to put more releases in the giant-screen format in the pipeline. In 2002, IMAX re-issues of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King were released in selected theaters over the winter and Christmas seasons of that year. New digital masters were created from the original CAPS production files and select scenes of animation were cleaned up to make use of the high resolution IMAX film negatives. Treasure Planet was also released in select IMAX theaters and was the first theatrical film to be released in regular and IMAX theaters simultaneously. But all of these releases had underwhelming box office returns and Disney canceled later big-screen re-releases, including Aladdin.
Disney films shown in IMAX[]
2000s[]
- Fantasia 2000 (2000)
- Beauty and the Beast (1991, 2002 Re-release)
- The Lion King (1994, 2002 Re-release)
- Treasure Planet (2002)
- Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
- The Young Black Stallion (2003)
- Sacred Planet (2004)
- Aliens of the Deep (2005)
- Roving Mars (2006)
- Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience (2009)
- A Christmas Carol (2009)
2010s[]
- Alice in Wonderland (2010)
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) (In select countries.)
- Toy Story 3 (2010)
- Tangled (2010) (In select territories.)
- Tron: Legacy (2010)
- Mars Needs Moms (2011)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
- Cars 2 (2011)
- John Carter (2012)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Frankenweenie (2012)
- Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- The Lone Ranger (2013) (In select countries.)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Maleficent (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) (Specially formatted for select sequences.)
- Big Hero 6 (2014) (In select territories.)
- Cinderella (2015)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Tomorrowland (2015) (Specially formatted for the entire film.)
- Inside Out (2015) (In select territories.)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) (Filmed with IMAX cameras for the Millennium Falcon Jakku sequence.)
- The Finest Hours (2016) (In select IMAX theaters.)
- Zootopia (2016)
- The Jungle Book (2016)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016) (Filmed with IMAX cameras for the airport battle sequence.)
- Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
- Finding Dory (2016) (In select IMAX theaters.)
- The BFG (2016) (In select IMAX theaters.)
- Doctor Strange (2016) (Specially formatted for select sequences.)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- Beauty and the Beast (2017) (Specially formatted for the entire film.)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) (Specially formatted for select sequences.)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) (Specially formatted for the entire film.)
- Cars 3 (In select IMAX theaters.)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017) (Specially formatted for select sequences.)
- Coco (2017) (In select IMAX theaters.)
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) (Was filmed with IMAX cameras for select sequences, projected in 2.35:1)
- Black Panther (2018) (Specially formatted for select sequences.)
- A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018) (Filmed with IMAX cameras for the entire film.)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Incredibles 2 (2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) (Specially formatted for select sequences.)
- Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) (In select IMAX theaters.)
- Captain Marvel (2019) (Specially formatted for select sequences.)
- Dumbo (2019)
- Penguins (2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019) (Filmed with IMAX cameras for the entire film.)
- Aladdin (2019)
- Dark Phoenix (2019)
- Toy Story 4 (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) (Specially formatted for select sequences.)
- The Lion King (2019) (Formatted in 1.43:1 ratio for select sequences at select IMAX with Laser screenings.)
- Ad Astra (2019)
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) (Specially formatted for the entire film.)
- Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
- Ford v Ferrari (2019)
- Frozen II (2019)
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
2020s[]
- Onward (2020)
- Artemis Fowl (2020) (originally theatrical but cancelled, moved to Disney+)
- The New Mutants (2020)
- Mulan (2020) (In territories without Disney+)
- Alita: Battle Angel (2019, 2020 Re-release)
- Soul (2020) (originally theatrical but cancelled, moved to Disney+)
- Nomadland (2021) (In select IMAX theaters and on Hulu)
- Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) (In select IMAX theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access)
- Black Widow (2021) (In select IMAX theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access)
- Jungle Cruise (2021) (In select IMAX theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access)
- Free Guy (2021)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) (First Walt Disney Studios film under "Filmed for IMAX" project)
- Eternals (2021)
- West Side Story (2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
- The Beatles: Get Back (2022)
- Death on the Nile (2022)
- Turning Red (2022) (originally theatrical but cancelled, moved to Disney+, but still released theatrically in territories without Disney+)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
- Lightyear (2022) (First fully animated film with 1.43:1 ratio format for select sequences)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016, 2022 Re-release)
- Avatar (2009, 2022 Re-release)
- Amsterdam (2022)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
- Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
- The Little Mermaid (2023)
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
- The Creator (2023)
- The Marvels (2023)
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
- Alien: Romulus (2024)
- Moana 2 (2024)