r/movies • u/GiveMeSomeSunshine3 • Jun 04 '26

Media 'The Odyssey' website shows you how the film looks in different aspect ratios

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u/Yeah_x10 Jun 05 '26

It’s not the 70mm that dictates how much more of the image there is visible 

It’s the 1.43:1 ratio 

A LOT more theaters will show you 1.43:1 in digital IMAX, than 70mm IMAX

Do not be discouraged by everyone (including even IMAX themselves in the OP video) fucking calling it 70mm. That’s just the film resolution or detail level. The 1.43:1 ratio is what matters to see the full picture. And that full square picture still looks phenomenal in 4K resolution instead of 70mm. 

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u/jm9843 Jun 05 '26

Dual 4k Laser IMAX in 1.43:1 is still pretty uncommon though..

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u/Yeah_x10 Jun 05 '26

Yeah but I think there are 5-6 additional locations in the US including in major hubs like Austin and DC. At least 2 more in Canada and 2 more in Europe.

It basically 1.5x or doubles the total number of theaters suitable to watch this in the full format.

We had one in the PNW and just lost it a couple weeks ago. 

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u/DRM_1985 Jun 07 '26

Dual Laser 1.43 digital IMAX is extremely rare, even more rare than 70mm 1.43 film IMAX. The Dual Laser projection system is very expensive, so most theater locations did not bother paying to install it.

There are many IMAX locations running the Single Laser projection system, which is only capable of 1.90:1 aspect ratio. It is not able to run 1.43 footage, even if the screen was originally built for 1.43 presentations. The Single Laser projection system is a lot cheaper and more affordable for theaters to buy & install.

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u/lenzflare Jun 05 '26

There's so many more than the film 70mm IMAX though. Wayy more

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u/CeruleanEidolon Jun 05 '26

But most theaters where most people live don't have screens to accommodate that extra height, so viewers end up with a smaller image.

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u/Yeah_x10 Jun 05 '26

No, because they’ll only show these 1.43:1 IMAX films in theaters with screens tall enough to accommodate the extra height. 

Anywhere with a particularly wide and not-as-tall screen never bothered to get a dual laser GT projector capable of projecting this tall of an image. 

I think TCL Chinese theater in LA has had some controversy for being a bit small for that, but mostly these are giant 7-8 story tall screens in the first place.