whatisimax.com
The short answer

What is IMAX?

IMAX is a cinema system that combines a specially prepared movie with its own projection, sound, and room design.

The name does not describe one fixed experience: a ticket can mean huge-format film or dual laser on a tall screen, or a smaller digital room that shows less picture.

IMAX and large-format systems ranked by delivered pictureIMAX 70mm film is quality tier 1 and can deliver up to 1.43 to one. IMAX Dome film is quality tier 1 and can deliver up to 1.43 to one. dual-laser IMAX is quality tier 2 and can deliver up to 1.43 to one. single-laser IMAX is quality tier 3 and can deliver up to 1.9 to one. Laser XT is quality tier 4 and can deliver up to 1.9 to one. xenon IMAX is quality tier 5 and can deliver up to 1.9 to one.Peak picture capabilityMaximum frameTier 1IMAX 70mm film1.43:1Tier 1IMAX Dome film1.43:1Tier 2dual-laser IMAX1.43:1Tier 3single-laser IMAX1.9:1Tier 4Laser XT1.9:1Tier 5xenon IMAX1.9:1
Peak capability, not a promise about every show. A film must contain the taller image, and the projector and screen must both support it.

The difference you can see

A full-height 1.43:1 presentation shows much more above and below the same wide composition than 1.90:1 IMAX or 2.39:1 standard scope. The projector and the screen are separate variables, so a tall screen alone is not enough.

How wider aspect ratios remove image areaThree equal-width frames are nested around the same centre. 1.43:1 shows the full-height image. 1.90:1 removes 24.7 percent of that area, and 2.39:1 removes 40.2 percent in total.1.43:1 · full image1.90:1 · 24.7% lost2.39:1 · 40.2% lost20.5% is lost in the step from 1.90:1 to 2.39:1.All frames have the same width and centre.
The diagram keeps width constant. Its area differences are calculated from the aspect-ratio data rather than typed into the page.

When a movie switches aspect ratio, the frame appears to grow vertically because the IMAX master reveals picture above and below the wide version. That only happens where the source, master, projector, and screen all permit it. See exactly how aspect ratios work.

How do I tell which one my cinema has?

  1. Search the venue database. It records projector system, maximum ratio, screen dimensions, film capability, sources, and confidence where those facts are published.
  2. Read the individual showtime label. “IMAX 70mm” identifies a film presentation. “IMAX with Laser” does not by itself tell you whether the room has the full-height dual-laser configuration.
  3. Check the movie. A 1.43:1 room adds nothing vertically when the supplied movie stays at 2.39:1. Use the film lookup before paying the premium.

The fair conclusion: smaller IMAX rooms are not automatically bad. Modern laser can produce an excellent picture. The problem is that one brand name does not disclose the equipment, screen geometry, or version of the film.

Go as deep as you want

Every format

Film, GT Laser, commercial laser, Laser XT, xenon, and dome, compared system by system.

Aspect ratios

What 1.43:1, 1.90:1, and 2.39:1 mean for the picture you receive.

What 70mm means

Why ordinary vertical film and horizontal IMAX film are radically different frames.

Venue database

Search the documented rooms by city, system, capability, size, and confidence.

Screen sizes

Known venue dimensions drawn at one physical scale, with sources and confidence.

Where to sit

Choose by viewing angle and vertical comfort, not by a universal row letter.

Film lookup

Separate IMAX film capture, certified digital capture, and remastering only.

Glossary

Plain definitions for every technical term used across the site.

Sources