The IMAX logo doesn’t always tell you what kind of screen or projector you’re getting.
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The Odyssey has certainly thrust IMAX into the spotlight again, particularly if you’ve been seeking out one of the few theaters that can screen Christopher Nolan’s epic in 70mm IMAX. However, there’s a catch behind that blue logo: two theaters that sell you an IMAX ticket can provide noticeably different experiences.
One could be a big 1.43:1 screen with 70mm film or dual-laser projection. Another could be a converted multiplex auditorium with a much wider and smaller screen. That mismatch gave rise to the “LieMAX” nickname.
It’s not a formal format and IMAX definitely doesn’t market any of its theaters as such. The nickname became popular in 2009 when movie fans griped that the newer IMAX Digital screens installed in multiplexes were not nearly as huge as the giant auditoriums they had come to associate with the brand. At the time, IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond acknowledged that the newer screens could be smaller, but said that screen size was just one part of the IMAX experience.
What people really mean when they say LieMAX
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LieMAX has no technical specification, which is one of the reasons it is used so liberally. Three movie nerds may give you four different answers as to what counts.
15/70 film is at the top of the pile, and can fill a 1.43:1 IMAX screen. The closest digital equivalent is the dual-4K laser GT Laser, which can also project at 1.43:1 in appropriately equipped theaters.
Below that are CoLa (commercial laser) and XT, newer single-projector laser systems that typically have a maximum ratio of 1.90:1. Then there’s IMAX Digital Xenon, the older dual-projector 2K system that helped IMAX proliferate in conventional multiplexes starting in 2008, and helped inspire the LieMAX nickname. It’s got the same logo, but very different amount of wall.
The key thing is that a modern 1.90:1 laser theater is not necessarily what people originally intended to shame with the LieMAX name. Some fans employ the insult for just about anything that doesn’t display 1.43:1, but the older Xenon systems on smaller screens are much closer to the format that led to the complaints in the first place.
How to know what IMAX you are getting
Always begin with the screening label. If it has the words “IMAX 70mm,” then the mystery is pretty much solved. “IMAX with Laser” tells you less, because that branding can refer to various laser setups and IMAX’s public listings of its theaters don’t always specify the type of projector in an auditorium.
The next useful clue is aspect ratio. A 1.43:1 IMAX screen is clearly taller and squarer than a 1.90:1 screen, and movies prepared for IMAX can stretch up vertically to take advantage of the extra room. Sometimes IMAX will release lists of which locations can actually show the taller image for releases with special 1.43:1 presentations.
Of course, there’s a wrinkle here: The screen alone doesn’t tell you what will be coming out of the projector that night. Some theaters have a film projector and a Laser or Xenon system, so they can have a big 1.43:1 screen and play 15/70 film for one release and then switch to digital projection for another release with a 1.90:1 aspect ratio.
IMAX does not detail the projector setup for all screenings in its theater finder.
Community-maintained IMAX maps and the r/IMAX theater database can help you determine screen ratios, projector types and 70mm capability if the official listing doesn’t tell you. They are unofficial resources, so it’s always best to check with the theater before making a three-hour road trip out of a movie night.
But is LieMAX really bad?
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Not necessarily, and this is where the nickname begins to cause more confusion than it helps.
While a modern 1.90:1 laser auditorium will not be able to display the full height image that can be achieved with a 15/70 or GT Laser auditorium, it is not the same as the older 2K Xenon systems that originally annoyed enthusiasts. IMAX’s newer laser systems project in 4K and have enhancements in brightness, contrast and color.
The movie matters, too. Only a handful of films screened at IMAX theaters each year open up to 1.43:1 aspect ratios, and typically only do so for certain scenes. If an IMAX presentation is at 1.90:1, those rare 1.43:1 theaters won’t magically reveal another piece of the frame that never existed.
When there’s no special 1.43:1 presentation to chase, Dolby Cinema is another premium alternative. It features dual-4K Dolby Vision laser projection with Dolby Atmos, which can make it a great option for movies where contrast, color and sound are more important than the biggest possible image. But it can’t duplicate IMAX’s exclusive 1.43:1 frame, so there’s no one premium format that’s always the winner.
