IMAX
large-screen film format
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and cinemas originally known for having steep stadium seating and very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (about 1.43:1), though many films shot using IMAX cameras are shown in a wider format. Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr, and William C. Shaw were the co-founders of what would later be named IMAX Corporation in September 1967, and they developed the first IMAX theatre projection standards in the late 1960s and early 1970s in Canada.
The largest IMAX format, Grand Theater (GT), can show 1.43:1 content on a 1.43:1 screen that is large enough to take up almost all of the audience's vision for an immersive experience. The IMAX 15/70 film format uses very large screens of 18 by 24 metres (59 by 79 feet) and, unlike most conventional film projectors, the film runs horizontally so that the image width can be greater than the width of the film stock.
IMAX is often shown in cinemas built specifically for IMAX to accommodate the taller aspect ratio. The dedicated buildings and projectors require high construction and maintenance costs, and many installations of this type limit themselves to a projection of high-quality, short documentaries. The IMAX SR and MPX systems were introduced in 1998 and 2004, respectively, to make IMAX available to existing film theaters. The SR system featured slightly smaller screens than GT theaters, though still in purpose-built auditoriums with a 1.43:1 aspect ratio. The MPX projectors were solely used to retrofit existing multiplex auditoriums with wider screens, losing much of the quality of the GT experience. IMAX Digital 2K and IMAX with Laser 4K were introduced in 2008 and 2014, respectively.
“IMAX” enters the record as large-screen film format. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what IMAX, large-screen and film can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“IMAX” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, IMAX, large-screen and film provides the most credible route into that argument.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q188575. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1967, 1998, 2004 and 2008.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “IMAX”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow IMAX primary sources, IMAX archive and IMAX research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “IMAX”?
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This entry incorporates text from “IMAX” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.