IMAX Sound System
The IMAX sound system is a high-precision, multi-channel audio environment engineered to deliver accurate spatial sound reproduction in large-format theaters. It typically uses up to 12 audio channels, including additional side, overhead, and back speakers. Speakers are placed behind the screen and throughout the auditorium to ensure that sound comes from the same on-screen location. Each speaker is individually powered and equalized, allowing technicians to fine-tune frequency response and timing for the specific acoustics of each theater. [1]
IMAX employs proprietary digital signal processing (DSP) to manage sound distribution and maintain clarity across the theater’s wide frequency and dynamic ranges. The system is capable of reproducing extremely low frequencies for bass impact, as well as high-frequency detail with minimal distortion. Every IMAX theater undergoes detailed acoustic calibration using precision microphones and analysis software to ensure consistent sound everywhere in the theatre. [2]
IMAX Curved Screen
The IMAX curved screen is a large-format projection surface designed specifically to make the viewing experience more uniform and elevated for everyone in the theatre. The screen is slightly curved inwards toward the audience to ensure that the distance between the projector and different points on the screen remains as consistent as possible to cause as little distortion as possible. The screen is also tilted downwards to improve viewing, allowing viewers seated at different positions in the theater to see the image clearly without visual compression or shadow. IMAX screens are made from a perforated material coated with a high-gain reflective surface to make the picture brighter and easier to see. [3] Each screen is also custom-built for its theater like the sound system to ensure each theatre has the same experience.
IMAX Projector
The IMAX projector is a high-resolution projection system designed to display images on extremely large screens with maximum brightness, sharpness, and color accuracy. Traditional film-based IMAX theaters use 70mm film running horizontally, allowing for a much larger frame size than standard 35mm film and resulting in higher image detail (for more, see Antecedents). [4] Modern IMAX theaters use IMAX with Laser, a dual 4K laser projection system that produces a wider color gamut and brightness across the entire screen. [5]
Once again, each projector is custom to the theatre and the screen to make it as high quality as possible. Dual projection is often used to overlap and synchronize two images for greater brightness and clarity, fixing previous problems with the IMAX and depth perception. The system uses digital processing to optimize the film itself and make it clearer and brighter. Finally, the projection system is enclosed in a temperature-controlled housing to prevent heat-related distortion and ensure consistent back to back showings. [6]
IMAX Film Camera
The IMAX film camera is a large-format motion picture camera designed to capture images on 65mm film running horizontally through the camera. This format exposes a film frame that is roughly ten times larger than a standard 35mm frame, allowing for significantly higher image resolution (for more, see Antecedents). The camera uses a precise mechanical system to transport the wide film stock at 24 frames/s, which aids image stability and minimizes motion blur. Because of the large frame size, the film is able to capture extremely fine detail, with high contrast, and more accurate color representation than the standard 35mm. [7]
The camera’s design requires specialized lenses capable of covering the wide film area while maintaining optical sharpness across the entire frame. It is also equipped with a high-capacity film magazine, often holding up to 1,000 feet of film, which provides only about three minutes of recording time per roll. [8] IMAX cameras are larger and louder than standard motion picture cameras due to the size of the film and the speed at which it moves through the mechanism. While films that were only recorded with traditional film cameras can still be viewed in IMAX, it is expensive to convert the movie to IMAX standards. [9]
Footnotes
[1] Gabrielle Sheridan. Inside IMAX: What Makes It ‘The World’s Most Innovative Movie-Going Experience.’ 1st ed. London: Anthem Press, 2021. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/umw/detail.action?pq-origsite=primo&docID=6735093, 100-105.
[2] Ibid., 97.
[3] Chen Wang and Li Heng, “Built Environmental Variations Between Regular and IMAX Theatres,” Open House International 43, no. 4 (2018), https://umw.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/built-environmental-variations-between-regular/docview/2171603216/se-2, 44-45
[4] Shubham Mhatre. 2024. “The Resurgence of the 65mm & IMAX 15/70.” Master’s thesis, Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. https://dspace.amu.cz/items/ba2d23af-a0b5-4c56-9ee2-d80eaaad1df4.
[5] Wang and Heng, 49
[6] Mhatre, “Resurgence of the 65mm”
[7] AMC Theatres. n.d. IMAX at AMC. https://www.amctheatres.com/imax.
[8] IMAX Filmmaking: What Is It Like to Shoot on an IMAX Film Camera?, image (or article), Y.M.Cinema Magazine, March 10, 2020, accessed November 29, 2025, https://ymcinema.com/2020/03/10/imax-filmmaking-what-is-it-like-to-shoot-on-an-imax-film-camera/.
[9] Ibid.