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Get ready to see the big screen in a whole new way! Join us as we count down the most surprising and jaw-dropping facts about IMAX technology! From cameras so loud they need special covers to projectionists wearing protective vests, the world of IMAX is wilder than you think. What IMAX fact blew your mind the most? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00My first time working on IMAX was with Chris, and I remember thinking, gosh, it's loud.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the unbelievable, standout, and or unexpected details about IMAX.
00:14This is the magical moment that is unique to an IMAX projection system, which obviously runs horizontal. Other films would
00:21run vertically.
00:23Number 10. The company almost went bankrupt. With the recent successes at IMAX, it's easy to forget that they didn't
00:30always succeed.
00:31The early 2000s were rough going for the corporation. Before popular filmmakers were openly embracing it, the concept cost a
00:38fortune, and was mostly relegated to documentary projects.
00:41It involves a huge amount of technology, and the film can cost $2,000 per minute to produce.
00:48There were arguably a few years where the company crept closer to oblivion.
00:52Leadership like CEO Richard Gelfond helped to steer IMAX out of massive debt, while David Keeley played an important role
00:59as chief quality officer.
01:00The future now looks much more prosperous as audiences sell out screenings for IMAX around the world.
01:06We're here to serve you through the quality you expect from IMAX, from picture to sound to safety and comfort
01:13when you walk into an IMAX theater.
01:14Number 9. IMAX made billions in 2025.
01:18You tell him the truth, Smoke. I can see his memories.
01:23Smoke, I need your brother.
01:26This wasn't no juke joint, no club. This here is a slaughterhouse.
01:32Despite some setbacks, the corporation expanded their reach by screening more Hollywood movies.
01:37The box office receipts for 2025 showed serious improvements.
01:40Big movies like Sinners, F1, and One Battle After Another drew crowds throughout the year.
01:46Go for it!
01:54With more films out from directors making big spectacles, demand for larger format screenings led to over a billion in
02:01ticket sales.
02:02Other blockbuster franchises like Avatar and Mission Impossible were able to entice people into IMAX theaters.
02:07With more recent releases like The Odyssey, 2026 could turn out to be another massive success for the specialized cinematic
02:14experience.
02:15July was IMAX's highest grossing month ever, generating $257 million at the global box office.
02:22The Odyssey bringing in $221 million of those dollars in just three weeks.
02:27If you're eager for a mix between pop culture and technology, head over to WatchMojo's 24-7 live stream for
02:33more excitement.
02:33Scan the QR code on screen to join us for the latest in all things film, TV, and beyond.
02:46Number 8. Projectionists Wear Protection
02:49We come in here and we'll work up to a 24-hour straight shift.
02:53My longest shift ever in this booth on payroll was 43 hours.
02:57When you're an average film projectionist, you're not usually in danger.
03:00The same cannot be said for the brave workers in an IMAX booth.
03:04These projectors feature a xenon gas bulb that's ready to shatter with one false move.
03:09If it were to break, the mechanism would pose a serious injury risk.
03:13This means that employees handling them often wear protective vests or other helpful clothes.
03:17While the reels themselves might be long and heavy, the machine projecting them might be the scariest part of an
03:22IMAX operation.
03:23There's also the bulb's excessive heat that poses its own risks.
03:27The other two people that I'm working with in this booth, we're all lifetime projectionists.
03:32Most of my life has been inside an IMAX booth.
03:34Number 7. The prints can be super long.
03:37Take eight hours to build a print.
03:40It takes about five hours to QC these prints.
03:43And we have our large theater that is in use all the time and we QC the roles.
03:47When a feature film needs to be projected in IMAX, the real length should be taken into account.
03:52A two to three hour print can be north of 10 miles long.
03:56If you're Christopher Nolan, a movie like Oppenheimer or The Odyssey will take a while to unspool.
04:01Along with the length, these kinds of special prints also weigh several hundred pounds each.
04:06So you're at 750 pounds a shipment.
04:09If it's a local delivery, we could deliver them.
04:12Let's say it's CityWalk.
04:13If it's London, New York, obviously they go on special couriers that are used to delivering this type of gear.
04:20The projectionist certainly knows what they're doing in order to keep the show going.
04:24Cleaning and preparing the fragile materials for each showing.
04:27Little do many viewers know the time and care needed to bring this experience to moviegoers.
04:32Part of the way we try to keep the film as clean as possible is we use particle transfer rollers.
04:35One side of the film, the other side of the film.
04:36We'll run over these and we'll pick up a lot of the dust that's already on the print.
04:40Number 6. Space Station 3D takes IMAX to space.
04:44Their number one task is to deploy the next piece, the station's communications antenna.
04:50How cool is this?
04:53Venturing to some of the most remote and wilder parts of our planet, IMAX cameras have also gone into space.
04:58This particular documentary follows what happens on the International Space Station.
05:03There are shots that are truly out of this world, showcasing the true power of these cameras in zero gravity.
05:08You are starting to view yourself as more of a single, separate entity heading off into the rest of the
05:15universe.
05:16We can only imagine the kind of planning required to authorize and execute this kind of operation.
05:20Covering the construction and utilization of the ISS, Tom Cruise narrates an innovative journey beyond the stars.
05:26It is certainly among the more incredible sets of images captured by IMAX.
05:30Its construction is ongoing, and soon additions from Europe and Japan will enhance this incredibly versatile and unique laboratory.
05:40Number 5. Christopher Nolan was the first director to make a full feature on IMAX.
05:46Tell me what you remember.
05:50The Odyssey is the first full-length feature film to utilize wall-to-wall IMAX.
05:56Before this acclaimed take on Homer's epic, the director and others like Ryan Coogler have used the camera system for
06:02individual shots in their films.
06:03This particular 2026 blockbuster went the extra mile for his production.
06:08This is definitely the format or the window that this story wants to be seen in, and that has always
06:14been our first choice.
06:16Nolan willfully took on the technological challenges, pushing his crew and actors further to create this adaptation.
06:22The specific mix of practical and special effects make the images especially stunning.
06:27Filling larger screens with more detail, the movie gives this groundbreaking adventure a visual splendor.
06:33And so, for the first time ever, we've been able to do the entire film on the incredible IMAX film
06:37format.
06:38It's a long-held dream, finally coming to fruition.
06:42Number 4. Filming during the 1996 Mount Everest disaster.
06:45The top of the world, where the wind is fiercest, is a desolate, deathly place, where humans cannot live.
06:53Operating an IMAX camera is one thing, but doing so in the harshest conditions imaginable is another thing entirely.
07:00Filmmakers depicted the experience of climbing Mount Everest while bringing along some substantial equipment.
07:05The result was a notable and sometimes dangerous documentary called Everest.
07:13It would have been one thing to endure such extreme elevation, but the crew also dealt with an infamous storm
07:18during production in 1996.
07:20It ended up becoming a momentous achievement in terms of both filmmaking and enduring the elements.
07:26In a once-in-a-lifetime shoot, the team captured the mountain and the risks people take to climb it.
07:32Number 3. An IMAX film magazine runs for three minutes.
07:44For the vast majority of filmmakers, digital provided a more streamlined process without the need for constantly reloading the camera.
07:51The directors that still utilize 35mm might have about 10 or 11 minutes to film a scene before changing magazines.
07:58In the case of IMAX, that time limit drops down to close to three minutes.
08:02You then have to plan out your dialogue scenes with much more care.
08:15Rather than letting a shot play out for longer, you have to be more crafty about how you shoot and
08:20edit more intricate sequences.
08:22As artists implement IMAX for quieter moments as well as huge landscapes, they have to keep these details in mind.
08:27I cannot wait to sit in that IMAX theater and completely be lost in this world that he's created.
08:36Number 2. No new projectors.
08:39This is the magical moment that is unique to an IMAX projection system, which obviously runs horizontal.
08:44Other films would run vertically.
08:46Contrary to the recent surge in IMAX interest, there hasn't been a new projector built in decades.
08:51This creates a unique problem for a corporation that's experiencing a surge in popularity.
08:56CEO Richard Gelfond responded to this situation with hope, but also underscoring the technical and financial challenges standing in his
09:02organization's way.
09:03Got a set of PTR rollers, and I'm going from this pivot roller here all the way back to the
09:10pivot roller over here.
09:11There we go, it's now engaged.
09:13It might take further interest from both Hollywood and worldwide audiences to create a large-scale fix.
09:18To meet demand, IMAX would need to do more than just retrofit existing technology.
09:23The dream would be having more options for viewers in even more markets.
09:27When you have something this special, it means people come and they're willing to pay and come and see something
09:32and experience something like that and put their phones away and sort of really disconnect and fully immerse themselves in
09:38the enormous screen and the enormous sort of experience.
09:41Number 1. The cameras are really loud.
09:44The thing that was stopping us was always the sound.
09:46My first time working on IMAX was with Chris, and I remember thinking, gosh, it's loud.
09:53The IMAX cameras operate a little differently from traditional 35mm or digital.
09:58First things first, they are extremely loud.
10:01Past productions typically use the machine for documentaries without the need for sync sound or dialogue scenes.
10:06A vacuum system helps to feed the film through the camera and does so while making excessive noise.
10:11Is that what it's going to sound like when we shoot our scenes? That's really distracting.
10:16And then they brought the blimp out.
10:18With more recent blockbusters exploring the power of IMAX, filmmakers have run into the problem of this added distraction.
10:25The use of a blimp cover helps to dampen the decibels.
10:28Directors like Christopher Nolan have employed the latter mechanism in order to shoot conversations on screen.
10:34Did we forget another notable part of this enhanced cinematic format?
10:37Let us know in the comments.
10:41Let us know in the comments.
10:42Let's know in the comments.
10:44Let's have some feint.
10:44Let us know in the comments.
10:44Let us know in the comments.
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