What makes IMAX theaters different from normal ones?

IMAX's premium theatrical experience has created a fascinating box office situation. In 2025, for instance, ticket sales stagnated at $8.9 billion, roughly $2.5 billion below the pre-pandemic high of $11.4 billion. IMAX, however, had the best year in its history, with sales increasing roughly 40 percent year over year in 2025. In 2026, meanwhile, premium format hits like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey have the American box office on pace for its best year since 2019, before the pandemic, despite theaters reportedly selling roughly two-thirds of the tickets. Already, viewers are reserving their Dune: Part 3 IMAX tickets, which doesn't premiere until December.

The reasons for this are complex. For one thing, movies that draw large crowds are often the big-budget, visually resplendent thrill rides that IMAX theaters were built for. Moreover, rising ticket prices and concession costs have made moviegoing a premium experience. To some, reserving their filmgoing experience for only a select few premium screenings seems only logical. 

All this begs the question: if IMAX is so popular, why is it so difficult to find a ticket? As it stands, IMAX hosts around 1800 screens worldwide. Of these, only 32 theaters across North America and 41 globally support the exhibitioner's vaunted 70mm format, most of which are located in select metropolitan areas. Some American cinephiles must drive 500 or more miles to see films like The Odyssey in its most premium format.

The reason behind this shortage is straightforward: they lack the projectors. In an interview with Variety, IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond noted that the company hasn't made a new IMAX film projector in about 50 years. An industry-wide move towards digital amplified a tragic cocktail of lost blueprints, a lack of parts and dwindling institutional know-how, making it nearly impossible for modern engineers to recreate IMAX's gargantuan projectors from scratch. Instead, the company has had to rely on retrofitting old projectors to meet the public demand. To wit, few projectionists can operate the massive antiques, with only 90 people reportedly capable of running the rare projectors. And while the exhibitor has added eleven 70mm theaters since 2023, The Odyssey's $346 million (and counting) record-breaking triumph shows why more locations are in the works. 

For now, finding an IMAX theater is relatively simple through the company's online search tool. Using the search bar, you can find all the IMAX theaters nearest you, consult their relative amenities, and even determine their film format. If you want to go directly to a list of all the 70mm theaters, you can consult my colleague Steve's helpful guide here.