From Los Alamos to Arrakis, a rumbling in the sands of cinema has been heard lately. Denis Villeneuve channelled the vibrations in Dune: Part Two. Long after a young Chris Nolan thrilled to documentaries at the Museum of Science and Industry’s giant dome theatre in Chicago, he conveyed the message with Oppenheimer. If you want to see these films how their makers intended, both preached, get thee to an IMAX.
Post-COVID-19, cinema’s embattled state seems to make that gospel a tough sell. Streaming, the cost-of-living crisis, variations on ‘superhero fatigue’ (discuss) and post-strike delays have hit theatres and viewers hard. Yet as audiences embrace the piercing clarity, giddy scale and enveloping sound of IMAX – either digital or the revered large-frame 15/70 film format – IMAX’s success remains remarkable.