IMAX screens, aspect ratios: When did watching a movie get so complicated?

Never mind what Nolan intended. Let the cinema freaks worry about aspect ratios and 4K screens. Let’s watch what we like, how we like. They’re just movies, after all

Turns out, we’ve been watching movies wrong. All these years, we’ve been sitting in the dark, eating popcorn, having a good time, oblivious to the fact that we might be missing half the movie. We discovered that in July, when side-by-side stills from The Odyssey (on a regular screen and in 70mm IMAX) revealed that most of us were watching just the tip of Nolan’s cinematic iceberg. In the mass-released version, heads were lopped off, skies were missing, and the FOMO was real.

India doesn’t have a single 70mm IMAX screen to watch the movie The Way Christopher Nolan Intended. There are less than 45 IMAX 70mm screens in the world, 25 of them in the US. He deliberately made a movie that the majority of viewers couldn’t watch properly anyway.

James Cameron made his three-hour-long Avatar to be watched only in theatres, with no interval.

With epic sagas such as Oppenheimer (2023), Dune: Part 1 (2021), Part 2 (2024), the soon-to-be-released Part 3 (2026) and The Odyssey (2026), booking the right screen has never been more important. We’re not just debating the storylines and Dolby surround. The format we watch the movies in is part of the conversation now. We’re comparing screens, projectors, aspect ratios, sound systems and film stock. Even IMAX digital comes with homework: Check the aspect ratio, make sure it’s 4K, find out what projectors the cinema uses. Booking a movie ticket requires more research than buying a laptop.

Friends was originally shot in 4:3. On wide-screen HD TVs, there are stage lights and boom mics visible. (MOVIE MISTAKE)

According to IMAX’s own research, simply knowing that a film had an IMAX theatrical release made 62% of respondents more likely to watch it at home, because they assumed it had higher production quality. Around 70% said seeing the IMAX logo on a poster made a film seem superior, while 90% saw “Filmed for IMAX” as an even stronger endorsement. Many were also willing to pay an extra $3 for a premium screen.

Directors have always held strong views on how their movies must be shot and viewed. Quentin Tarantino is a staunch champion of old-school 35mm film prints. James Cameron made his three-hour-long Avatar to be watched with special glasses only in theatres, with no interval. Are we suckers for punishment? Are we missing the point, or just missing a few inches of sky?

The phenomenon has reached TV too. When the Battle of Winterfell left everyone squinting cluelessly at the screen during the final season of Game of Thrones, cinematographer Fabien Wagner blamed viewers for not knowing how to tune their televisions properly, or for being dumb enough to watch the “cinematic” show on their iPads. And those who are re-watching Friends — originally shot in 4:3 for the boxy TVs of the time — on wide-screen HD TVs now, there are boom mics, stage lights and the edges of set walls in the frame.

The core of the story is the actors, the performances and the action, not the crop. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Cinematographer Kaushal Shah, whose credits include An Action Hero (2022) and Gehraiyaan (2022), believes that IMAX can add to a film’s visual spectacle, but it isn’t a prerequisite for enjoying it. “It works best for films like The Odyssey, where the scale of the story and the way it is presented on screen go hand in hand. If a film isn’t shot on that scale, watching it on IMAX may not make much of a difference.” And the crop rarely impacts general storytelling. “A good film remains a good film, regardless of the aspect ratio you watch it in. You’re still seeing the core of the story — the actors, the performances and the action.”

Even Cameron has softened his stance, saying that Avatar: The Way of Water could be watched at home on a reasonably large flat-screen TV with a decent sound system (provided you sit close to the screen). Meanwhile, consider the Mile-High Cry phenomenon: The increased tendency to get weepy while watching films on flights. Researchers have explored how cabin conditions, fatigue and the intimacy of watching a story unfold in your own little mid-air bubble can potentially make you more involved in a movie, more susceptible to tears. No IMAX needed.

So go on. Watch that movie on your laptop, with a bucket of popcorn, subtitles on, and your phone within reach. Cry if you want to. Pause for a bathroom break. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just watching a movie.

From HT Brunch, October 17, 2026

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