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Door staff@engadget.com (Kari Paul) - 29 Sep 2026
The term IMAX refers to a proprietary motion picture system put forward by IMAX corporation, that usually includes some combination of large screens, high-resolution imagery and an overall more immersive experience. What exactly you see, however, depends on how the movie was shot and what kind of IMAX you are viewing it in.
The main categories of IMAX are IMAX 70mm — the gold standard viewing experience, in which a film is shot on IMAX 70mm film and projected from an IMAX 70mm film print. Closely following the 70mm experience is IMAX GT Laser, a dual-laser projection system that has a high resolution at 4K and is designed for 1.43:1 aspect ratio screens; next, IMAX with Laser uses a single-laser projector, optimized for wider, 1.90:1 screens. The first-generation digital IMAX experience is IMAX Digital Xenon. These older installations use dual 2K projectors with xenon bulbs, often coupled with smaller theaters that some have nicknamed "LieMAX."
Finally, there is the IMAX Dome with Laser — this format is less common both for film production and viewing purposes. They are more typically found at science museums and other educational centers playing nature films rather than Hollywood blockbusters. The Dome system, formerly known as Omnimax, hosts films shot with a fisheye lens that give viewers a 180° field of view. While a standard IMAX screen is vertical and typically approximately 52 by 72 feet, a Dome can stretch nearly 100 feet in diameter across the entirety of a domed ceiling.
The main categories of IMAX are IMAX 70mm — the gold standard viewing experience, in which a film is shot on IMAX 70mm film and projected from an IMAX 70mm film print. Closely following the 70mm experience is IMAX GT Laser, a dual-laser projection system that has a high resolution at 4K and is designed for 1.43:1 aspect ratio screens; next, IMAX with Laser uses a single-laser projector, optimized for wider, 1.90:1 screens. The first-generation digital IMAX experience is IMAX Digital Xenon. These older installations use dual 2K projectors with xenon bulbs, often coupled with smaller theaters that some have nicknamed "LieMAX."
Finally, there is the IMAX Dome with Laser — this format is less common both for film production and viewing purposes. They are more typically found at science museums and other educational centers playing nature films rather than Hollywood blockbusters. The Dome system, formerly known as Omnimax, hosts films shot with a fisheye lens that give viewers a 180° field of view. While a standard IMAX screen is vertical and typically approximately 52 by 72 feet, a Dome can stretch nearly 100 feet in diameter across the entirety of a domed ceiling.