Key Facts. The movie's return to IMAX 70mm—a format that increases image resolution tenfold from standard projection formats—paired with a strong awards season run puts “Oppenheimer” in a position to bolster its box office performance this weekend and in the leadup to the Oscars on March 10.
The larger-than-life film frames and superior image quality will plunge you headfirst into the drama and intrigue of this highly anticipated movie. Even though you can catch the film on streaming, we encourage you to check it out in IMAX 70mm while you have the chance.
IMAX 70mm is even bigger because film runs through the camera and projector horizontally, so each frame uses 15 perforations of the film compared to the vertical 5 perforations of regular 70mm. This makes the frames 3.4 times bigger than on 'standard' 70mm film.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Nolan explained that the "best possible experience" of the movie is in IMAX 70mm theaters, as both the aspect ratio and the sound will be ideal.
He explained that IMAX 70-millimeter negatives are roughly 10 times the size of those for 35-millimeter film, for decades the theatrical standard that digital projection aspired to supplant, resulting in a crisper, clearer image.
The movie is set to run in 30 IMAX theaters, and the reel of 70mm film is a whopping 11 miles long, Nolan told The Associated Press. It also weighs 600 pounds. "Oppenheimer" will premiere Friday worldwide and be shown on standard screens as well as in IMAX.
70mm: When presented on regular 70mm film, the sequences shot on 5-perf 65mm are presented in their native format, the IMAX sequences have been optically reduced to 70mm 5-perf film to produce a grain-free, ultra-high resolution image, cropped top and bottom to fill the wider frame.
The theater technology is very popular for big movie fans and cinephiles, and Nolan himself recommends going to see his film in IMAX. Though Oppenheimer has been running for several weeks now in both IMAX and regular non-IMAX theaters, the film receives positive reviews in both formats.
Due to popular demand, “Oppenheimer” has extended its 70mm run at Imax theaters nationwide through the end of August. The previous end date, which was already an extension of the film's original run in Imax 70mm format, was Aug. 17. Tickets for Christopher Nolan's atomic bomb drama are already on sale through Aug.
Dune: Part Two Will be Screened in IMAX 70mm (But Shot Digitally) - IMDb. Good news for 70mm enthusiasts — The anticipated Dune: Part Two will be screened in IMAX 70mm (in selected theaters of course). Say 'Thank You' to Nolan's Oppenheimer. But, it was shot digitally (and not on IMAX film cameras).
An IMAX camera isn't your average movie camera. For one, there is a very limited quantity of IMAX cameras available for filmmakers around the world to use — that's why not every movie is shot with IMAX cameras.
Oppenheimer was shot using a combination of 65mm film (5 perforations) and IMAX 65mm film (15 perforations). If you go to an IMAX 70mm screening, you'll see the scenes shot in IMAX format full-screen (and the rest will have black bars at the top and bottom).
Oppenheimer explodes onto 4K UHD with a stunning HDR transfer that showcases the film's dual aspect ratios, allowing us to revel in the myriad IMAX sequences and appreciate the innovative storytelling technique of this brilliant biopic.
