IMAX Corporation announced that every MCU Movie releasing in 2022 would be using IMAX cameras, either in part or during its entirety.
On June 27th, the IMAX corporation unveiled part of its 2022 slate during its Q2 Earnings Conference Call. In that call, they confirmed that Morbius, Uncharted, The Batman, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Mission: Impossible 7, Jurassic World: Dominion, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Marvels, and Avatar 2 would indeed release in IMAX theatres. With that slate, IMAX also confirmed that the MCU titles would be using IMAX cameras, either in select scenes or for the entire film, alongside Mission: Impossible 7. Uncharted and Avatar 2 were also confirmed to be using expanded aspect ratio for select sequences or the entire film, but have not been shot with IMAX cameras.
Marvel has been doubling down on their IMAX efforts since the release of Captain America: Civil War, which used IMAX-certified ARRI ALEXA cameras to shoot its airport fight sequence, as a test for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which marked the first-ever films to be captured in its entirety with IMAX cameras. Before Civil War, Marvel started to experiment with “expanded aspect ratio” with Guardians of the Galaxy, until it became the norm from Doctor Strange onward, meaning that the IMAX experience of any MCU movies would either feature select sequences or the entire film in an expanded aspect ratio, with an aspect ratio of 1.90:1 during action sequences as opposed to the traditional 2.39:1. You can see an example of that aesthetic technique below:
If you went to see Black Widow in IMAX, three of the film’s main action sequences were presented in a 1.90:1 aspect ratio: the Budapest foot/car chase, Red Guardian’s prison break, and the climax as the Red Room destroy itself. It was already confirmed, through its IMAX trailers, that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals would be using IMAX cameras, with Spider-Man: Far From Home to have scenes in an expanded aspect ratio. Now it looks like Marvel Studios is going to become long-term partners with IMAX for their 2022 slate and beyond, looking now to use their cameras in almost every future theatrical production they will release.
As someone who has seen [literally] every single MCU title on an IMAX screen (minus the ones that weren’t released in that format), you’ll be damn sure I will go see each and every one of them on the big (big) screen for the ultimate cinematic experience…that is unless another COVID-19 variant shuts the world down again…which I hope won’t happen (get vaccinated everyone!)
