Why it’s necessary to watch Tenet in IMAX

IMAX is a very well known trademark but it’s often associated with big theatres boasting massive screens: yes, big theatres are great but the reason why the technology makes a significant difference starts from a camera and its film.

Traditionally films were shot in 35mm, a format which uses around 22mm x 18.6mm for capturing each image. IMAX films use 70.41mm x 52.63mm. This means that there’s ten times more visual information, which translates to a 12K resolution.

So why don’t all filmmakers employ it? It’s a big camera, not easy to handle, and very noisy. It doesn’t suit quiet scenes, which would need to be dubbed, and it doesn’t suit long takes (its limit is three minutes). This also means that it’s very, very expensive to operate.

Christopher Nolan is a pioneer of IMAX. He’s always tried to utilise more and more of it in his works. The Dark Knight Rises was instrumental in popularising the format worldwide.

The director designed Tenet with IMAX in mind, capturing many scenes with IMAX cameras and also refining the film throughout post-production in an IMAX cinema to further optimise how audiences will experience it. Exclusively in IMAX cinemas, these scenes will visually expand to fill the entire screen, delivering a visual experience with unprecedented crispness and clarity. That combined with next generation IMAX precision sound, creates a truly immersive journey.

It’s not only a better experience, it’s also more complete, because one can see parts of Tenet that won’t be available in a traditional theatre. Most IMAX cinemas use a proprietary digital projection technology called laser, which utilises two aligned 4K projectors.

However, for the ultimate experience – and to see even more of the actual film – it should be watched in a 70mm location. There’s just a handful of them – luckily the only European one is in London.

The editorial unit

Tenet was released nationwide on 26^th August 2020. To book your IMAX experience visit the official ticketing website here.

Read our review of Tenet here.

IMAX 70MM LOCATIONS

UNITED KINGDOM

Odeon BFI IMAX – London

UNITED STATES

Chrysler IMAX Dome Theatre, Michigan Science Center – Detroit
IMAX Theatre, Indiana State Museum – Indianapolis
AutoNation IMAX Theater, Museum of Discovery and Science – Fort Lauderdale

CANADA

Kramer IMAX Theatre, Saskatchewan Science Centre – Regina
Cineplex Cinemas Mississauga & IMAX – Mississauga
Cinesphere IMAX Theatre, Ontario Place – Toronto

THAILAND

Krungsri IMAX, Paragon Cineplex – Bangkok