What's the biggest IMAX theater in the world? It depends who you ask

If you'd like to visit one, there could be a lot of travel involved.

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In the wake of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, cinephiles are in a desperate search for the biggest, most vibrant theaters available. The trend is the high-water mark of the industry's shift towards premium formats. But with only a select few theaters capable of playing IMAX's coveted 70mm film format, many filmgoers are debating the importance of aspect ratios and film perforations as passionately as they do the films themselves. And with Dune: Part 3's IMAX screenings already experiencing huge demand, you may want to begin your search for the best screen near you sooner rather than later.

Ticking off your movie theater bucket list with the largest and most vibrant IMAX screens might be more difficult than you expect. For one thing, IMAX diehards continue to debate which of the Canadian company's 1,800 global screens constitute a true IMAX experience. The discussion is more than merely a question of size, and rekindles a longstanding debate about the differing quality of IMAX's various formats.

While some moviegoers might find the hairsplitting to be pedantic or elitist, these distinctions render real-world differences in viewers' IMAX experiences.

The largest (with an asterisk)

On the surface, the world's largest movie screen is the IMAX theater at the Traumpalast Leonberg cinema complex in Germany's southwest region of Baden-Württemberg. A gargantuan 127 feet wide and 69 feet tall, the German cineplex holds the world record for the largest surface area of any movie theater in the world at roughly 8,770 square feet.  Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest theater in 2023, the screen is wider than a Boeing 737 is long.

However, some cinephiles are likely to raise their fists in protest. The debate centers around two central points: the film format of the theater's projectors and the subsequent aspect ratio of the screen. IMAX theaters come in two main varieties: digital and 70mm film. IMAX Digital theaters are often retrofitted large format screens that use either a dual xenon lamp projector or a laser projection system. 

The aspect ratio of these projections, which relates to the proportion between the height and width of a screen, is an impressive 1.90:1, meaning they are much taller and wider than your average movie theater. However, some purists dub IMAX's digital screens as 'LieMax' theaters, as they fail to achieve the resolution of their 70mm film counterparts.

IMAX's 15/70mm film theaters, meanwhile, are widely considered the best premium format on the market. Without diving into the intricacies of IMAX's revolutionary approach to projections, the key to the discussion regarding screen size is their unique 1.43:1 aspect ratio. 

In practical terms, IMAX's 70mm film screens are squarer and taller than the Traumpalast. Add the format's unrivaled vibrancy and clarity, which IMAX claims is ten times sharper than traditional 35mm prints, and you have a film experience that is well worth whatever absurd distance you'll have to travel to experience it. So for devoted IMAX disciples that want to see the biggest possible version of IMAX's most beloved format, you'll have to venture outside the German woodlands.

The award for the largest 70mm IMAX theater goes to. . .

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To see the world's biggest true IMAX screen, you might have to take a trip down under as Melbourne's IMAX theater claims it hosts the largest 1.43:1 IMAX screen of them all. Standing roughly 105 feet wide by 75 feet tall, it is the biggest screen in the Southern Hemisphere. As such, the Melbourne location is a revered pilgrimage for many movie lovers, with fans reportedly boarding flights to catch a glimpse of Christopher Nolan's masterpiece on the biggest possible film projection. 

For American moviegoers looking to find the biggest possible screening, venture to the AMC theater at Lincoln Square, New York City. Sporting roughly the same measurements as its Australian counterpart at 101 feet wide by 75.6 feet tall, the New York theater is a contender for the best movie theater the country has to offer. For west coasters, San Francisco's AMC Metreon 16 could challenge for the top spot. 

The tallest screen in the country is Royal Cinemas' IMAX theater in Pooler, Georgia. Sporting the same aspect ratio as the acclaimed 70mm screenings, the dual 4K laser projection screen stands 101 feet wide by 76.2 feet tall. However, whether you consider Pooler's laser projections to be a true IMAX experience may determine whether you crown it the king of American IMAX theaters.