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Disney Creates Its Own IMAX for 'Avengers: Doomsday' After Losing Screens to 'Dune: Part 3' (kotaku.com) 52

Posted by EditorDavid from the all-roads-lead-to-Doom dept.
Ahead of December's release of Avengers: Doomsday, Disney has unveiled "Infinity Vision," reports Kotaku, which they describe as "a new theater-going experience that will be certain to transform your pedestrian $15 night out into an exotic $43 one." (Though those prices appear to be estimates...)

Disney's announcement calls it "a new certification for premium large format (PLF) theaters," helping ticket-buyers find "a huge screen with the sharpest, clearest color and sound," including laser projection "for superior brightness and clarity ") and "premium audio formats for fully immersive sound". Light on specifics, Disney says they will be certifying premium large format theaters for the Infinity Vision experience, highlighting laser projection and immersive audio quality. The new program will begin in the summer for a theater run of 2019's Avengers: Endgame ahead of Doomsday's holiday release.

Now you might be thinking: Giant screen? Booming audio? That sounds an awful lot like IMAX. The most consumer-recognized premium movie-going screen is the coveted throne for big blockbuster events, from Avatar to One Battle After Another. Unfortunately for Doomsday, IMAX screens are already booked for the holiday season by Dune: Part Three, the anticipated return to Arrakis, where Timothée Chalamet's Muad'Dib will begin to go worm-mode. Locked out of the popular choice for doubling your ticket price, Disney appears to have made up a new one...

Disney says they aim to certify 75 theaters in the United States and 300 internationally for the Infinity Vision program.
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Disney Creates Its Own IMAX for 'Avengers: Doomsday' After Losing Screens to 'Dune: Part 3' More

Disney Creates Its Own IMAX for 'Avengers: Doomsday' After Losing Screens to 'Dune: Part 3'

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  • Alternative (Score:4, Interesting)

    by CommunityMember ( 6662188 ) on Sunday April 19, 2026 @10:48AM (#66101214)
    Disney could have moved the release back a week (some industry pundits suggested they might do so) to at least gotten a fair number of those who absolutely positively needed to see the movie at the IMAX pricing and experience on that first weekend.

    • I imagine they could have negotiated earlier too. That way it would be Dune in a pickle to get IMAX screens.

    • Some irony in that they're trying to sell a superhero movie in competition with a movie from a franchise that's all about the folly of hero worship.

    • You have to think that they must be pretty damn confident in Avengers: Doomsday. I mean, my first thought was "nope, never gonna see it", but I'm probably not a big concern for them.

      Next up, they're launching a whole new type of cinema? IMAX hasn't exactly been making it super well over the years, which sort of suggests there's not that much market for such a thing. Disney can, I suppose, order all their film makers to shoot in this new format, which gives them a chance at some content which IMAX won't have

  • A year from now I might pirate a torrent of this POS and then never watch it. Better that than swapping respiratory infections with complete strangers while sitting through 30 minutes of laser-sharp booming advertisements for the low-low price of $43.

  • Will they be showing that kind of stuff they churn out?
    Will there be other people there?
    Yes?
    We'll pass.

  • This is exactly why (Score:4, Interesting)

    by wakeboarder ( 2695839 ) on Sunday April 19, 2026 @10:57AM (#66101232)

    I don't go to the theaters, these movie execs are trying to pick my pocket when they should be trying to entertain me. They put out commercialized uncreative garbage. Most Disney movies contain a large percentage of content that is essentially a in movie advertisement. I could go on and on, I'm not paying 40$ for a movie

    • If you look at $40 is having your pocket picked they just don't care about you anymore. You are no longer a worthwhile consumer to them.

      Increasingly the focus of large corporations is on more affluent consumers that would see $40 as peanuts. Like if somebody picked your pocket and walks off with a nickel you just wouldn't care. You probably wouldn't even notice the missing nickel. That's the kind of consumer Disney wants.

      In the past they couldn't ignore guys like you and me because another company w

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by mjwx ( 966435 )

        If you look at $40 is having your pocket picked they just don't care about you anymore. You are no longer a worthwhile consumer to them.

        Increasingly the focus of large corporations is on more affluent consumers that would see $40 as peanuts. Like if somebody picked your pocket and walks off with a nickel you just wouldn't care. You probably wouldn't even notice the missing nickel. That's the kind of consumer Disney wants.

        Disney doesn't want affluent consumers, people who have money typically have it because they aren't spendthrifts and understand the value of their dollar/euro/pound.

        What Disney want are the kind of people who "don't even look at the price tag" and just put everything on credit. The kind of people who's pay barely even touches their bank account on it's way to service their ever increasing pile of debt so they'll need more debt to get through the month. That's the kind of mindless consumer Disney wants, p

  • Alternate news (Score:5, Funny)

    by Unpopular Opinions ( 6836218 ) on Sunday April 19, 2026 @11:00AM (#66101236)

    Ahead of December's release of Avengers: Doomsday, Unpopular Opinions has unveiled "Infinity Wisdom," reports himself, which they describe as "a new theater skipping experience that will be certain to transform corporate greed night out into a realistic better investment for your future." (Though those claims appear to be estimates...)

  • Start with Disney+ for Brightness and Clarity (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Somervillain ( 4719341 ) on Sunday April 19, 2026 @11:24AM (#66101270)
    Given the horrible HDR on Disney+, hearing Disney talk about brightness and clarity is like hearing Elon Musk lament about drug abuse. Disney+ is largely unwatchable, your screen will be black...unless you turn the brightness all the way up and watch it on a giant TV in a pitch black room. I can't see fucking shit on Disney+. They ruin the movies. At first I thought it was because I had an inexpensive mainstream TV. I tried disabling HDR, changing the brightness, backlight, all the common sense stuff. Now my TV is grey, but I can't tell what the fuck is going on for any dimly lit indoors scene (like anything in a space ship). OK...so I buy an expensive TV, not purely for Disney, but just because my kids and I watch movies and play more games together now...OK, for a top of the line $1200 Roku Pro series, it's "slightly" better, but still...I can't tell what the fuck is going on in any dark scene. Is that the hero or antagonist?...it takes me a second or 2 figure it out because I can't see shit.

    The crux of the complaint? Disney+ went OUT OF THEIR WAY with this overboard HDR shit on purpose. So Disney wants to "roll their own" theater format for picture?...eh, your history with these thing is pretty horrible, especially on Marvel and Star Wars series. HDR is a fucking curse and everyone I've talked to agrees...it definitely didn't make it better. I know creators can build tension with that, but most of us just want to relax after a busy week and watch a movie. Don't go out of your way to make strain my eyes and have to put EFFORT into watching your stupid popcorn flick.

  • This is to entice iMAX franchisees to jump ship (Score:5, Interesting)

    by williamyf ( 227051 ) on Sunday April 19, 2026 @11:36AM (#66101282)

    If you are a theater owner, you have to pay iMax periodicaly for naming rights, and other stuff. The equipment (that you also had to pay) is sunk cost already.

    If Disney can Provide "A Name/Brand" 90% as strong as iMax at 60% of recurring costs, and convince theater owners that is really the case, be certain that many a theater owner will jump ship in a heartbeat.

    Competition is good, and a Duopoly is better than a monopoly any day.

    On a personal note, there are no iMaxs in my country (Venezuela), and I almost do not go to cinema, but still go from time to time (like once or twice per annum), either for the social aspect, or because there is a movie I REALLY like to see "the way it was meant to be seen". So, I have no beef in this fight, just seeing it from a bussiness perspective.

    • Re:This is to entice iMAX franchisees to jump ship (Score:5, Interesting)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 ) <slashdot@wor f . n et> on Sunday April 19, 2026 @01:07PM (#66101404)

      Large format projections beyond IMAX do exist, but the generally have very little hold. Most cinema formats have not held - many have been tested over the decades and most have done away.

      Theatre owners will likely not invest in the equipment if there's no promising market - they've been promised a lot in the past and been stuck with equipment they bought and no longer used.

      True IMAX using 18/70 (18 perf 70 mm) are rare - there are only 30 theatres in the world who can play that (it's a legacy format). Most lost the capability when IMAX moved to digital. The remaining 18/70 theatres will likely remain because there is interest in the format, and to recoup the investment. An 18/70 print costs around $100K and it's something the theatres keep, which is a rarity. Even in the days of 35mm, most theatres would rent the film instead of purchase them so at the end of the run they'd return them. And in the digital age, well, they don't own anything - the projectors have to get a license key every time they show a movie, and that key gets the theatre charged for the showing. They also have another key that unlocks the movie for a set time period.

      Disney does have the marketing might to push their own IMAX system, but theatre owners will be watching - if it remains Disney only, they may only stick with IMAX as it's basically booked all the time, while a Disney system will only be used for the few Disney films released

      IMAX requirements are harsh - but it's because they hold a standard. The screen must have a certain reflectivity to it (it's changed every 5 years). The sound is calibrated and adjusted - the theatre actually cannot change the volume. If they do adjust the volume, IMAX can remote change it back and the bulb life and brightness is carefully monitored. But that's also why they can charge a premium ticket price for it - you're getting a presentation that's designed to be the same and well presented and adjusted. I've been in way too many theatres where the sound is too loud and having too much bass I felt sick. The premium IMAX ones the bass gives you a nice kick when it needs to but is otherwise restrained. They take advantage of dynamic range.

      Of course, I'm referring to real IMAX theatres, and not the moder prevalent "LieMAX" ones which are converted screens. Disney would have a far easier time competing with Liemax

      • True IMAX using 18/70 (18 perf 70 mm) are rare - there are only 30 theatres in the world who can play that (it's a legacy format). Most lost the capability when IMAX moved to digital. The remaining 18/70 theatres will likely remain because there is interest in the format, and to recoup the investment.

        And while not all films justify seeing them in True IMAX, some arguably are (Nolan strongly encourages that those who can should see his films in True IMAX. His The Odessy will be filmed 100% with IMAX cameras).

      • Large format projections beyond IMAX do exist, but the generally have very little hold.

        That's not strictly true. In many places of the world Dolby Cinema (the Dolby competitor to IMAX which while often barely competitive on screen size completely outclasses IMAX in visual quality) is as popular as IMAX.

        Dolby Cinemas have all the same restrictions - the cinema needs to be setup and calibrated in a controlled way with defined equipment.

        • Dolby Cinema beats out IMAX in everything, but aspect ratio. The picture quality, the sounds, and the seats are all far superior.

          • Not every IMAX is the same. And no it's not just the aspect ratio (did you mean screen size?) Some IMAX cinemas include some incredible comfort. Many new IMAX cinemas have the same Lacie laser projectors as Dolby Cinemas.

            There's no one universal rule of thumb here.

            • I mean aspect ratio. When a file is specifically filed for IMAX instead of just shown on a giant IMAX screen the dimension of the image projected. Though that is not necessarily true for every scene in the film. I read "Project Hail Mary" had the most actual IMAX footage of any film so far. All the space scenes were shot in that aspect ratio and well, it is a long movie. If you saw the film in any other format the space scenes were all cropped.

    • be certain that many a theater owner will jump ship in a heartbeat.

      There's a significant cost in changing a cinema. IMAX isn't just a standard that says you meet a certain criteria, it involves the actual equipment from IMAX corporation. The switch would involve buying new equipment, very likely having to return the IMAX equipment and being unable to reuse it as a sunk cost (assuming it isn't rented).

      and a Duopoly is better than a monopoly any day

      We have that. Dolby Cinemas is the main competitor here (and in many cases exceed the quality of certain IMAX cinemas). They are quite prevailent, though no fully certified Do

    • "Certify 75 theaters" = Those 75 screens are going to be in highly populated areas (NYC, LA, SF, Vegas)... sure as hell, they won't be "certifying" one in Decatur, Iowa or someplace small., so odds are there won't be one within driving distance for us plebs.
      On any screen, it's gonna be digitally projected, have surround sound booming, and it'll be a theater full of people talking and futzing with their cell phones and crying kids... what's different with these Disney-certified screens?

      When it gets posted on

  • 80"+ TVs are cheap. Films get released to streaming a few months. For a lot of people, the theater experience has lost its luster. There is nothing wrong with Disney trying to improve the experience and get buts in seats. Personally, I find the theater experience fun now and then, but I don't especially want the imax, 3d, 4d, or whatever experience. I like the recliner seats in the smaller rooms, with some salty popcorn.

  • I avoid going to the movies these days purely because of the insane amount of commercials shown beforehand. I paid money to get in. And you are showing me commercials on top of that. I don't do commercials. They are not something I want to waste my life watching. I am not your target market. If I can't pay for a commercial-free experience I'm not doing it.

    There are precious few theaters out there that don't show commercials. And none near us. I am down to 1 - 2 visits to a theater per year for films

    • >"I avoid going to the movies these days purely because of the insane amount of commercials shown beforehand."

      For me, it is the assholes that go there and reek of perfume and/or weed, mess with their phones, talk, and/or bring disruptive children. It was already getting bad way before the pandemic, even though I had a fantastic theater nearby- huge screen, sharp image, really good sound, very comfortable seats (which is now closed down forever, of course). But none of that matters when others ruin the

      • Another beef for me: movies that are way too long. Could have chopped out 45 minutes and the story would be tighter.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by HiThere ( 15173 )

          *That* depends on the movie. Some movies NEED to be long, others need to be cut. But making each movie the same length is a really bad idea. (E.g. I saw a version of War and Peace that was so long it ran in two days. It didn't need to be cut, but the break was necessary.)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by SumDog ( 466607 )
      AMC is the worst with 20~30 min of previews. I always show up at least 15 min late to those if I go. We have a local iMax in Chattanooga, TN that is part of the aquarium and they run half the number of trailers/adverts and also have an incredibly large screen. I really love it. It's one of the best eyeMaxes I've been to in the world, only comparable to the Navy Pier eyeMax in Chicago. (The one in Sydney is okay, but meh).
  • My friends and I saw Project Hail Mary in one of these types of theaters. The image was great and the screen was big, so that was nice. But theaters seem to be cheaping-out on sound systems now, relying on volume and bass to make up for a lack of speaker numbers and quality. I was not impressed in that regard.

  • Wow, now I can see drek in astonishing detail.

  • Even a bigger, louder pile of crap is still just crap.

  • Last night, my daughter and I went to see Hail Mary. The ticket price for both of us was $12 (1-adult and 1-senior), and adding a $4.50 big bucket of popcorn, we were still under $20.

    It would have to be extremely exotic for me to even consider $43. . . Possibly first-class dining service, but I don't think that would even pull me in for two tickets.

  • Capitalism's so fucking wasteful. There does not need to be competition in the big screen market you idiots. now there's just gonna be more incompatible bullshit. boring stupidity. can't just make bigger screens everyone can use, it's gotta be didney brand proprietary bullshit that'll be abandoned in a few years and WHICH IS THE REASON that it will be abandoned in a few years.

    it's a theatre guys. if you think you've revolutionized the concept, it's because you're an idiot, an irredeemable virgin, and c

  • ... and with all their mass-firings probably AI slop too.

    I prefer the small rural theaters with a dozen people at a matinee.

    Big and Loud will appeal to the Zoomers who aren't broke. That's about 10% of them.

  • I'm disappointed that OmniMAX, also called "IMAX Dome", isn't more popular: There's a certain 'wow' factor (and vertigo) to looking at picture that doesn't have an edge. It's a dying 70mm format that is, for some reason, limited to a 40 minute run-time.

  • Disney is TERRIBLE. This is JUST another bullshit shakedown to draw blood from a rock. We're all tired of $100 dates to the movie theatre -- that's why theatres are dying. The experience sucks -- everyone is on their damned phone, you have to sit through goddamned commercials, the tickets are too expensive and holy hell, have you seen the price of concessions? screw this, i'm done.

  • Disney really wants to kill cinemas, don't they? "Let's set our prices at double what IMAX tickets cost!" They really don't understand the concept of diminishing returns.

    • They are desperate. They had multiple massively valuable IPs, including their own, and they ran them into the ground by putting out woke slop. To compensate, they are trying everything except making good movies.

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