Disney launches 'Infinity Vision' in response to IMAX

Walt Disney Studios is launching 'Infinity Vision' as a new certification program for cinemas that "offer the biggest, brightest, and most immersive cinematic experiences".

We have IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, Samsung Onyx (LED screens), Vue Epic, Cinity, and more Premium Large Formats (PLF) for cinemas. 

Disney's Infinity Vision is not a new format but rather a certification, or "a new benchmark for theatrical presentation", as Disney calls it, for around 75 existing PLF auditoriums in the US and 300 globally.


Laser projection, not LED displays
The technical requirements for Infinity Vision are high but not groundbreaking and are unlikely to revolutionize the cinema industry, beyond supporting the growth of PLFs.

The requirements are, according to Disney:
The largest screens for maximum scale
Laser projection for superior brightness and clarity
Premium audio formats for fully immersive sound
In other words, Disney will not require LED cinema displays like those from Samsung (Onyx) or Sony. These are currently the only technologies capable of delivering true HDR picture quality in cinemas.


In response to IMAX
The launch is a response to IMAX's decision to favor Dune: Part Three over Avengers: Doomsday. Both movies will premiere on December 18, 2026, but only one can play in IMAX at a time.

Dune: Part Three was mostly shot natively on IMAX film cameras, while Avengers: Doomsday was shot using IMAX-certified digital cameras.

- "Beginning with the September re-release of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame and followed by the highly anticipated December release of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, audiences will be able to seek out Infinity Vision-certified screens and see the film on the grandest possible scale, exactly as intended," said Disney.

The initiative goes beyond certification to include additional special offerings for theaters and audiences and marketing support, added Disney. The Infinity Vision logo will appear both online and in theaters to make it simple for consumers to identify the auditoriums.

- "Disney’s standards for production quality are second to none, with every single detail of a film finely tuned for an immersive experience," said Andrew Cripps, Head of Theatrical Distribution for The Walt Disney Studios. "Infinity Vision certification extends that commitment to the theaters themselves, representing a shared effort between The Walt Disney Studios and the exhibition community to help audiences quickly find the very best screens in their area to experience our films in exactly the way they’re designed to be seen – on a huge screen with the sharpest, clearest color and sound."