"Shot with IMAX" and "Filmed for IMAX" Aren't the Same Thing—Know the Difference Before You Buy Tickets
These two IMAX labels are often treated as interchangeable, but one refers to the camera used on set, while the other refers to an entire production pipeline. Using "The Odyssey" and "Dune" as examples, here's a breakdown of the difference—and what to check before buying your ticket.
"Shot with IMAX" and "Filmed for IMAX" sound like two ways of saying the same thing, and even IMAX's own marketing hasn't drawn a clear line between them. Put simply, the former refers to which camera body was used during filming, while the latter refers to an entire production process—from pre-production through to exhibition—built around the IMAX format. A film can qualify for both labels at once: Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is one example, shot entirely on IMAX film cameras and officially part of the "Filmed for IMAX" program. But some films only qualify for the latter—Denis Villeneuve's "Dune," for instance, never touched an IMAX film camera at all.
Shot with IMAX: It's About the Camera
IMAX's official marketing tends to favor the more precise phrase "Shot with IMAX Film Cameras." The description here is literal: at least some footage in the film was actually captured using IMAX's large-format film cameras. These cameras use a 15-perf 65mm format, where 65mm film runs horizontally through the camera body and each frame spans 15 perforations, producing an aspect ratio of 1.43:1—a frame height much closer to square than what you'd see on a typical screen. The film shot on set is 65mm, while the prints screened in theaters are 70mm, which is why some showtimes are specifically labeled "IMAX 70mm."
A film doesn't need to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras to earn this label. "Oppenheimer" only used IMAX film cameras for select scenes, and those segments expand to a taller IMAX frame in theaters equipped to show them. "The Odyssey" goes further—IMAX says it's the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX film cameras, made possible by a newly designed camera housing that allows scenes requiring synchronized dialogue recording to be shot in this format. To see the film in its most complete form, you'll need to find a specific theater screening the 70mm print.
Filmed for IMAX: A Process That Starts in Pre-Production
The "Filmed for IMAX" program kicks off during pre-production, when the production team decides whether to use IMAX film cameras or IMAX-certified digital cameras. Filming is composed with IMAX's 1.90:1 or 1.43:1 aspect ratios in mind as the target framing, and in post-production, IMAX's team helps optimize the footage for its theater systems. Starting in 2020, IMAX began certifying digital cinema cameras from brands like ARRI, Panavision, RED, and Sony—these camera bodies aren't manufactured by IMAX itself, but rather digital cameras that have passed certification for use in this workflow.
"Dune" is the digital route's poster child. Villeneuve didn't shoot this 2021 film on IMAX film cameras—instead, he used IMAX-certified digital cameras and framed shots according to IMAX exhibition specs. In select theaters, certain segments of "Dune" expand to 1.43:1, revealing more picture above and below the standard frame than what you'd see in a regular theatrical version. That said, "Filmed for IMAX" doesn't guarantee a consistent expanded ratio. "F1: The Movie" was shot entirely on IMAX-certified digital cameras, but the full theatrical presentation runs at 1.90:1; "Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning" used certified cameras as well, but only certain segments—totaling more than 45 minutes—expand to 1.90:1.
The label itself won't tell you which screening is worth seeing. What actually determines the quality of your experience is what the specific theater is capable of projecting. Not every IMAX theater can display the full 1.43:1 frame—IMAX 70mm theaters can project this taller aspect ratio from film, and some IMAX with Laser auditoriums support 1.43:1 as well, while other IMAX auditoriums may only screen the wider 1.90:1 version. The same "Filmed for IMAX" movie can look noticeably different depending on which theater you watch it in: even if the film genuinely includes 1.43:1 segments, you won't see the complete frame unless that particular auditorium has the right equipment. Before buying your ticket, it's worth checking directly whether the showtime is IMAX 70mm, or whether that IMAX with Laser auditorium actually supports 1.43:1 projection.
