You’re in line at the theater, phone hot with spoiler warnings and group chats arguing seating strategy. I watch a projectionist roll his cart and mutter, “People fight for IMAX.” The calendar says December 18, 2026, and the marquee chessboard is set.
At concession stands, conversations turn to screen wars — why Disney rushed out ‘Infinity Vision’
I’ve been to these fights before: fans comparing seat angles, frame rates, and whose childhood the trailer stole. Disney doesn’t want its next blockbuster relegated to second-tier bragging rights, so it announced Infinity Vision — a PLF (premium large format) certification that promises big screens, bright images, and calibrated sound.
Read the press release from The Walt Disney Company and you’ll see the language is precise and corporate, aimed at reassuring exhibitors and moviegoers that the Marvel tentpole won’t look washed out next to Dune: Part Three. Disney will roll Infinity Vision out during the September re-release of Avengers: Endgame, then build momentum toward December’s Avengers: Doomsday.
In the lobby, you’ll hear one name more than any other — what IMAX still means to tentpoles
If you’ve ever booked the first row of IMAX, you know the feeling: size and audio that announce themselves before the first title card. IMAX still feels like a cathedral for blockbuster spectacle, and that credential is hard to copy.
Dune: Part Three has been courting IMAX screens for months; Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy was designed to scale up. That gives the movie a built-in advantage if you believe ticket sales correlate with immersion. IMAX’s proprietary projection and sound chain remains the format many cinephiles will prefer when two heavy-hitters open the same weekend.
What is Infinity Vision?
It’s a certification program built by Disney to label PLF auditoriums that meet stricter technical standards. Think image resolution, calibrated brightness, and standardized audio curves — metrics exhibitors already chase, now packaged and badge-ready for marketing. Disney says Infinity Vision covers over 75 domestic and 300 global PLFs, which is both a reach and a reminder: many of those rooms were already pretty good.
On ticketing apps, you can already feel the nudge — Disney’s FOMO strategy explained
I watch comment threads and sales graphs: when a studio brands an experience, it creates urgency. Infinity Vision is a neon badge on a theater’s listing, meant to pull you toward an earlier show. Disney isn’t just selling a movie; it’s selling a promise that your seat choice will matter.
That promise plays like a gentle pressure campaign. Fans who might have delayed seeing Avengers: Doomsday to avoid spoilers are now nudged toward opening weekend by the fear of missing the “certified” experience. It’s marketing that borrows from scarcity and social proof — two psychological triggers that work very well together.
Will Avengers: Doomsday be in IMAX?
Short answer: some screenings will be, but IMAX capacity is finite. Marvel and Disney will negotiate IMAX slots, but the format can’t scale infinitely like digital PLFs. If you want the biggest screen, you should plan early — prebook the IMAX showtimes at chains like AMC, Regal, and Cinemark. Dolby Cinema and other high-end PLFs will also host premium runs, but they’re different beasts.
At CinemaCon, the trailers told two stories — what that means for December
CinemaCon gave both films room to breathe and tease, and the responses were telling. Villeneuve’s footage played like an invitation to spectacle, while Marvel’s presentation leaned into spectacle-plus-community: shared moments, callbacks, and a big-event tone.
What matters for the box office isn’t only image quality; it’s audience identity. Fans who prioritize auteur-driven scale may choose Dune: Part Three in IMAX. Fans who prize communal, franchise catharsis will follow Marvel into certified Infinity Vision theaters. Studios know this, and they’re aligning distribution to exploit those habits.
In the weeks before release, you’ll see two parallel campaigns — how to choose your experience
I advise you to decide what you want from the night: solitary immersion or communal roar. If you want the largest image and seismic low end, chase IMAX seats early. If you want a widely available “premium” experience with strong audio and bright imagery, Infinity Vision screenings will be easy to find at many multiplexes.
Some chains will advertise both Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and Infinity Vision showings. Use the theater’s tech spec pages and trusted sources like Box Office Mojo and Comscore to compare runs before you commit.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
I’m watching this as someone who reads trade releases and sits in projection booths; studios are playing a promotional chess match and you’re the board. Will you let the badge sway where you sit, or will you fight for the IMAX pews — and which victory will feel worth the ticket?