IMAX Offers Scale but Not Always Value, Engadget Reports

According to Engadget, IMAX tickets cost more, and the biggest showings can be difficult to book. The article pointed to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which was playing in IMAX 70mm at only 41 locations worldwide as of July 2026. The format is also not automatically the best choice for a movie.

IMAX releases use expanded aspect ratios of 1.90:1 or 1.43:1 rather than the 2.39:1 widescreen ratio common for blockbusters. The black space above and below the image is removed, and more of the movie fills the viewer's field of view. Productions need specialist equipment. Traditional IMAX films use 65mm IMAX film cameras, which Engadget described as very loud, bulky and expensive. Movies classed as Filmed for IMAX, such as Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, use digital IMAX cameras to capture expanded footage, though they do not shoot on the same large-format film stock. The effect is similar: large landscapes feel bigger and action across the screen feels more immersive.

Engadget said a bigger frame can show more without actually showing anything better, especially for films not made specifically for IMAX. Recent releases including Toy Story 5 and Moana screened in IMAX theaters without being classed by IMAX as Filmed for IMAX. Such films may be bigger and louder, but they do not necessarily offer the expanded aspect ratio or extra picture area that viewers expect from a movie made with IMAX in mind. That removes one of the strongest reasons to pay a premium, the article said.

Cost is another issue. IMAX is a premium format, and cinemas price it accordingly. Big chains including AMC and Regal apply surcharges for IMAX and other premium large-format screenings on top of their usual prices, according to Engadget. How much a customer pays varies by theater, location and screening, but an IMAX ticket almost certainly costs more.

The higher price is easier to accept for a movie designed for the format, Engadget said. It cited The Odyssey as the year's standout in the IMAX world and the first Hollywood movie shot entirely on IMAX film. The article argued that the immersive scale of its production makes IMAX part of the experience rather than just an upgrade. By contrast, recent releases with IMAX screenings, including Minions and Monsters, Moana, Scream 7 and Masters of the Universe, were not made with IMAX in mind and cannot match that scale, the article said.

Availability of true IMAX screens is also limited. IMAX says it has 1,876 screens across 91 countries, according to Engadget, though that number includes screens in museums and science centers. The article suggested that for films not made for IMAX, viewers may be better off paying less for a standard cinema screen.