There’s watching a movie, and then there’s feeling like you’ve literally stepped inside one. In more cases than not, IMAX does the latter. With its towering screens, ultra-crisp visuals and immersive sound, the format turned theater trips into full-body experiences. Once the domain of science documentaries and museum exhibits, IMAX has become a cinematic standard for directors aiming to deliver scale, precision and emotion at the highest level. For audiences, it’s a portal into another world.

While many films are digitally remastered to fit the IMAX frame, only a select few are shot with the format in mind. These are the titles that take full advantage of the format's expanded aspect ratios, image clarity and room-shaking audio to turn storytelling into sensory overload. From sci-fi thrillers and superhero epics to historical dramas, these projects show what’s possible when filmmakers embrace the canvas IMAX provides.

Among them is Sinners — a genre-bending cult hit that was designed from the ground up to be seen this way. Its inclusion here points to something bigger: The way format can shape meaning, mood and visual impact. And it’s far from alone. The following films each used IMAX to expand the scope of what movies can do in a variety of unique ways.

1. Sinners is a cult favorite that made IMAX part of its DNA

For Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, each frame was composed to take full advantage of IMAX’s visual reach and texture. Coogler, known for grounding genre work in emotional truth, collaborated with cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw to shoot the film simultaneously in IMAX 15-perf 70mm and Ultra Panavision 70. This hybrid approach allowed the story to move between towering 1.43:1 verticality and ultra-wide 2.76:1 grandeur, letting each scene shift perspective with purpose. The result was a sonic journey that immersed audiences in both scale and intimacy, whether through arresting close-ups or sprawling, detail-rich environments. Select theaters offered exclusive 70mm reel presentations, further establishing Sinners as a format-forward experience.

2. Interstellar let audiences experience space — and time — like never before

Directed by Christopher Nolan, Interstellar was shot using over an hour of IMAX 70mm film, particularly for the sequences set in space and on alien planets. In 70mm presentations, key sequences expanded to a taller aspect ratio, further immersing audiences in the film’s visuals. Nolan used IMAX to contrast the vastness of the universe with deeply human stakes, especially the emotional tether between the main character, Cooper, and his daughter, Murph. Paired with Hans Zimmer’s organ-driven score, the format turned emotion and time into forces just as powerful as gravity.

3. The Avatar series turned a sci-fi world into a living, breathing reality

Avatar transported viewers to Pandora, a lush alien moon where human colonizers clash with the native Na’vi. While James Cameron’s masterpiece wasn’t filmed with IMAX cameras, it was digitally remastered for IMAX 3D and became a benchmark for immersive spectacle. Cameron developed custom 3D rigs and performance capture tools that made the film’s environments feel expansive and tactile on the big screen. That approach continued with The Way of Water, shot in 3D using Sony CineAlta VENICE cameras and high frame rates. Its sweeping visuals and underwater sequences helped it earn over $215 million through IMAX alone.

4. Oppenheimer proved you don’t need CGI to blow audiences away

Another Christopher Nolan haymaker, Oppenheimer was shot entirely on IMAX 65mm cameras, including scenes in black-and-white — a first in the history of the format, thanks to Kodak and FotoKem. In 70mm presentations, scenes expand to a 1.43:1 aspect ratio. Nolan’s team used practical effects to simulate the Trinity nuclear test, creating an eerie and unforgettable detonation without digital trickery. On IMAX screens, the result was overwhelming: Silence stretched to breaking points and sudden bursts of light and sound created moments of sensory shock. The format helped elevate a historical biopic into something mythic.

5. Top Gun: Maverick made you feel the g-force

Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick brought audiences back into the cockpit with a visceral sense of speed and scale. The film was shot using Sony CineAlta VENICE cameras, with select sequences expanding to a 1.90:1 aspect ratio in IMAX theaters. To capture the intense aerial sequences, the production team ingeniously fitted six IMAX-quality cameras inside the cockpits of F/A-18 jets, allowing for real in-flight footage. This commitment to practical effects and real aviation stunts contributed to the film’s critical acclaim and box office success.

6. The Dark Knight trilogy redefined what a superhero movie could look like

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy transformed IMAX from a novelty into a vital storytelling tool. Batman Begins was digitally remastered for IMAX, marking the format’s early integration into mainstream cinema. With The Dark Knight, Nolan became the first director to shoot significant portions — approximately 28 minutes — of a major feature using IMAX 70mm cameras, including the iconic bank heist and Hong Kong sequences, which expanded to a 1.43:1 aspect ratio in IMAX theaters. He expanded this approach in The Dark Knight Rises, capturing over an hour of footage with IMAX cameras, delivering large-scale set pieces like the midair plane hijacking with unprecedented clarity and scale.

7. Dune brought Arrakis to life with monumental scale

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films embraced IMAX from the ground up. The first installment was shot with IMAX-certified Arri Alexa LF and Mini LF digital cameras, with select scenes expanding to a 1.43:1 aspect ratio in theaters — giving audiences up to 40% more image during the film’s most sweeping moments. Cinematographer Greig Fraser used large-format capture to heighten the scale of Arrakis and its intricate set pieces. Dune: Part Two built on that foundation, this time filmed entirely using IMAX-certified Arri Alexa 65 and LF cameras. It was also presented in 70mm IMAX at select locations, reinforcing Villeneuve’s ongoing commitment to the format and helping set a new visual standard for sci-fi blockbusters.

8. Gravity used IMAX to make space feel intimate — and terrifying

Gravity was digitally shot using Arri Alexa Classic cameras equipped with wide Arri Master Prime lenses, all of which captured the vastness of space in stunning detail. Although not filmed with IMAX cameras, the film — directed by Alfonso Cuarón and scored by Steven Price — was presented in IMAX 3D theaters, maintaining its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio. This was achieved through a combination of long takes, with the opening shot lasting approximately 13 minutes, and innovative visual effects techniques. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and the visual effects team at Framestore utilized robotic arms and a massive LED light box to simulate the effects of microgravity, allowing for realistic lighting and reflections on the actors' helmets.

9. Avengers: Endgame marked a milestone in Marvel’s longstanding IMAX legacy

The Marvel Cinematic Universe embraced IMAX long before Avengers: Endgame arrived, but the Anthony and Joe Russo-directed effort pushed that relationship to its peak. Unlike earlier entries that used the format selectively, Endgame was shot entirely with IMAX-certified ARRI Alexa digital cameras, allowing the full 1.90:1 frame to remain consistent throughout. That decision gave everything — from hushed character moments to portal-summoning showdowns — more room to breathe and resonate. As the closing chapter of the Infinity Saga, the scale of the IMAX presentation mirrored the stakes on screen. It became the definitive way to experience one of Marvel’s biggest cinematic payoffs.