Whether they admit it or not, Marvel seem to be embracing their films’ IMAX potential more and more.
Today, IMAX announced that the Russo brothers will film parts I and II of the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War entirely with IMAX cameras. The company announced that the films will be shot using a brand new IMAX 2D camera from Arri and IMAX called Alexa 65. These cameras will be much lighter than standard IMAX cameras, and much quieter too- as the idea of shooting entirely in IMAX has been considered before with The Dark Knight Rises, but jettisoned at the last minute, as the 70mm IMAX cameras have been notorious for how loud they are.
In a joint statement, the Russos announced: “The intent with the Infinity War films is to bring ten years of accumulative storytelling to an incredible climax. We felt that the best way to exploit the scale and scope required to close out the final chapter of these three phases, was to be the first films shot entirely on the IMAX/Arri Digital camera.”
IMAX CEO Greg Foster stated: “The Russos are going to spend the next 15 months or so designing the making of the Avengers films with these cameras in mind. They’re not looking at this a week before they start filming or only focusing on an important section of the film. This is something that’s never happened before.”
This isn’t the first time, of course, that Marvel has gotten a little bit more adventurous with the IMAX format. Last year’s Guardians of the Galaxy had select scenes opened from 2:40.1 aspect ratio to 1:90.1. While that isn’t the same thing, as the film wasn’t shot in IMAX, it did, however, add a lot to the experience that truly exploited the film’s scale. In addition, next year’s Captain America: Civil War will have a 15-minute sequence shot in IMAX.
And while IMAX has always been a guaranteed success for Marvel- in fact, this past weekend, Age of Ultron made $25 million from IMAX showings worldwide- there’s a chance this could be a groundbreaker in terms of box office revenues for both companies. It may not convince Marvel to make more movies past this film, but it will help close the MCU out on a bang for sure. There is also a chance that IMAX’s brand new laser projectors will be brought to more IMAX cinemas.
Other upcoming films that have used IMAX cameras include Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice.