IMAX is pretty damn big. If you go to one of their flagship locations you’ll learn facts like the screen is the height of five double-decker buses, that the projector weighs “as much as a Fiat 500” and that the bulb gets “as hot as the surface of the sun” (no, I don’t believe it does either, but that’s what their promotional material says). But there’s a certain purple intergalactic titan that’s bigger, more dangerous and hotter than IMAX –Â Avengers: Infinity War‘s Thanos!
This is why the latest poster for the pic used to promote its IMAX release shows his Infinity Gauntlet stretching out from beyond space and time, ready to grab the IMAX logo and presumably shatter it into a million pieces. Obviously, Marvel Studios and IMAX are keen to convince audiences that Infinity War is best experienced on one of their titanic screens, putting out videos in which the stars of the MCU wax lyrical about the immersive qualities of the format and another that shows precisely how much more superhero action you get if you attend an IMAX screening (26% more).
While the two companies might be publicly snuggling up to one another, things haven’t been quite so rosy recently. Last September saw their big collaboration, Inhumans, release to terrible reviews and empty cinemas, with IMAX estimated to have lost an eye-watering $11.1 million on the series. With Chief Executive Richard Gelfond assuring investors that they’ll be taking a “more conservative approach” in the future, IMAX will be eager to scrap back a bit of that money with packed Infinity War screenings.
And, frankly, I reckon they’re going to get their wish. Avengers: Infinity War is currently tracking for a monster $225 million opening weekend, with premium IMAX tickets already sold out in many major cities (including, sadly, mine). Doubtless, they’ll be squeezing in as many screenings as they can though, so even if you miss out on IMAX over opening weekend, keep an eye out for the weeks afterwards (assuming of course that the film lives up to its trailers and proves to be worth the wait).
