Studios lock scenes behind IMAX to make the biggest screen experience feel special and drive more ticket sales. They shoot extra footage or enhance parts of movies just for IMAX theaters, which have giant screens and sharper images that regular cinemas can’t match.
IMAX started as a way to show films on huge screens with top-quality projection. For more details, check out the main page on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMAX. Early on, movies like Apollo 13 had to get edited down because IMAX projectors couldn’t handle long run times back then. Studios trimmed scenes to fit the old platters, which limited how much film could play without swapping reels.
Things changed as IMAX improved. Newer platters hold up to 180 minutes of film, so full-length movies work better now. But studios still hold back certain shots or sequences for IMAX only. They film with special IMAX cameras that capture more detail, or they remaster regular footage to look amazing on those massive screens. This creates exclusive content you won’t see anywhere else.
Take Disney’s releases in the past. They made deals for limited IMAX runs, like four months exclusive for some films, splitting box office money 50-50 with IMAX. Not every theater joined in because of the terms. Films like Treasure Planet went out in regular and IMAX theaters at the same time, but many others got select scenes cleaned up or expanded just for IMAX. For example, new digital masters from old animation files let high-res IMAX negatives shine in spots that regular prints couldn’t.
The goal is simple: get people into IMAX theaters where tickets cost more. Locking killer action scenes, epic landscapes, or 3D effects behind IMAX makes fans pay up for the full thrill. It also pushes filmmakers to use IMAX-certified cameras more, which cost extra but deliver that wow factor. Higher production costs and wear on prints kept some ideas from happening, like re-releasing Shrek in IMAX 3D, but it all led to better tech for today’s blockbusters.
Studios keep doing this because it works. Fans line up for the expanded format, and theaters fill seats that might otherwise stay empty.
