IMAX CEO Dismisses Disney's 'Infinity Vision' as Marketing Push

IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond dismissed Disney's new "Infinity Vision" certification as a marketing initiative, not a competitive threat, after the studio's "Avengers: Doomsday" lost IMAX screens to "Dune: Part 3" on the same December 18 opening weekend.

"It's not a new technological advance in any way; it's a marketing initiative, because Disney could not play 'Avengers' in IMAX because we had committed to 'Dune 3,'" Gelfond told Business Insider.

Denis Villeneuve's third Dune installment has locked down IMAX and IMAX 70mm screens for its opening weekend. That leaves Marvel's "Doomsday" – which brings back Phase One characters to face Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom – without access to the premium large-format chain for its December 18 debut.

Disney announced Infinity Vision in April as a certification program for non-IMAX theaters with premium large-format screens. The program gives those screens a technical seal of approval for image brightness, screen size, and sound quality. The Infinity Vision website calls it a badge that guarantees "an incredible theatrical experience."

Gelfond said the certification does not add new projection hardware or change the film's technical presentation. "It's not going to open an additional projection system. It's not going to add any special look or feel to the film. It is a way to market 'Avengers.' We'll find out if it works or not," he said.

Disney did not respond to a request for comment.

IMAX has been on a strong run. Christopher Nolan shot his upcoming "The Odyssey" entirely with IMAX cameras, a first for the format. Presales for IMAX 70mm screenings of that film sold out within hours, a year before its release. On opening weekend, IMAX reported $51.8 million in global ticket sales for "The Odyssey," more than 20% of the film's $264.1 million worldwide box office.

"The numbers this movie is going to do for IMAX are going to be among the best numbers in IMAX history," Gelfond said of "The Odyssey."

"Dune: Part 3" is also using IMAX cameras for select scenes, following the production pattern of Villeneuve's first two Dune films, which were shot with the format.

Still, "Doomsday" may not suffer without IMAX. Fellow Marvel release "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" will also skip IMAX screens in the U.S. when it opens July 30, and it is on track for a domestic opening above $200 million.

Gelfond said the Infinity Vision program exists because Disney needed a way to market the film to audiences who would not see it on IMAX screens. "It's not going to open an additional projection system," he said.