Who Created IMAX? How a Canadian Invention Changed Cinema Forever
- Karishma Gupta
- Jul 27
- 4 min read
When people hear the word IMAX, they usually think about giant screens, earth-shaking sound, and blockbuster movies that feel larger than life. But IMAX was never created to make movies “bigger.” It was invented to solve a real problem filmmakers faced in the 1960s: how to make cinema feel truly immersive without confusing audiences with messy multi-screen projections.
What started as an experimental Canadian project eventually transformed global cinema, influenced directors like Christopher Nolan and James Cameron, and changed how audiences experience movies forever.
The People Who Created IMAX
IMAX was created by four Canadians:
Graeme Ferguson
Roman Kroitor
Robert Kerr
William C. Shaw
The company was founded in 1967 under the name Multiscreen Corporation Ltd. before later becoming IMAX, short for “Image Maximum.”
Their inspiration came from experimental films shown at the famous Expo 67 in Canada. At the time, filmmakers were using multiple projectors and several screens at once to create immersive experiences. The idea looked exciting, but technically it was a nightmare. Projectors kept falling out of sync. Multiple screens distracted viewers rather than drawing them into the story. The founders realized something important:
Instead of using many screens, why not use one massive, ultra-clear screen?
That single idea became the foundation of IMAX.
The Technical Breakthrough That Changed Everything
The real genius behind IMAX was not only the screen size. It was the film system itself.
Traditional movie projectors used 35mm film vertically. IMAX redesigned the system completely by running 70mm film horizontally with 15 perforations per frame, often called the “15/70 format.” This allowed far more image detail and clarity than standard cinema.
Why IMAX Looked So Different
Feature | Traditional Cinema | IMAX |
Film Format | 35mm vertical | 70mm horizontal |
Screen Size | Standard large screen | Massive wall-sized screen |
Resolution | Lower image detail | Extremely high clarity |
Audio | Regular surround sound | Immersive multi-channel sound |
Viewer Experience | Watching a movie | Feeling inside the movie |
This format solved two major problems:
Bigger screens usually reduced image quality
Large theaters often lost immersion
IMAX managed to deliver both scale and sharpness together. That was revolutionary for the 1970s.
The First IMAX Film and Theater
The first IMAX film, Tiger Child, premiered at Expo '70 in Japan in 1970. Audiences were stunned by the size and clarity of the image. Soon after, the first permanent IMAX theater opened at Ontario Place Cinesphere in 1971. It became one of the most important landmarks in cinema technology history.
At first, IMAX focused mainly on documentaries, science films, and museum experiences. Many early IMAX movies explored nature, oceans, aviation, and space because the format was perfect for visual spectacle.
How IMAX Changed Cinema Forever
For many years, IMAX remained a niche technology. Then Hollywood realized something important: People were willing to pay more for a premium movie experience.
That changed everything.
1. IMAX Made Moviegoing Feel Special Again
As streaming platforms grew, cinemas struggled to compete. IMAX helped theaters offer something audiences could not recreate at home. Huge screens, precision sound, and immersive visuals made certain films feel like events instead of ordinary releases. Even today, premium large-format theaters continue gaining market share globally.
2. Directors Started Filming Specifically for IMAX
Filmmakers began treating IMAX as an artistic tool rather than just a projection format. Christopher Nolan became one of IMAX’s biggest champions. Films like The Dark Knight, Interstellar, and Oppenheimer used IMAX cameras extensively to create unmatched scale and realism. James Cameron also pushed the format forward with visually ambitious films like Avatar. IMAX cameras became associated with cinematic ambition itself.
3. It Changed Audience Expectations
Before IMAX, audiences mostly cared about story and actors. After IMAX became mainstream, viewers also started expecting:
better sound
larger visuals
sharper projection
premium seating experiences
event-style cinema
Modern theaters upgraded because IMAX forced the industry to evolve.
4. IMAX Helped Keep Theatrical Cinema Alive
This is probably the most important point. Streaming changed how people consume entertainment, but IMAX reminded audiences why theaters still matter. Recent reports show premium cinema formats like IMAX continue outperforming standard theaters because audiences see them as worth leaving home for. Without premium theatrical experiences, cinemas might have declined even faster after the streaming boom.
The Science Behind the Immersion
IMAX works psychologically as much as technically. The giant screen fills more of your peripheral vision, making your brain feel physically connected to the scene. Combined with high-resolution projection and powerful sound, this creates stronger emotional engagement.
That is why action scenes, space sequences, and nature documentaries feel more intense in IMAX compared to standard screens. The experience is designed to overwhelm your senses, in a controlled way.
The Shift from Documentary to Blockbuster Giant
Originally, IMAX was mainly used for educational content in museums and science centers. But Disney helped change its commercial future with Fantasia 2000, one of the first major Hollywood releases adapted for IMAX. After that, studios realized blockbuster films could generate massive revenue in premium formats.
Today, many major films are marketed around their IMAX versions first. Sometimes directors even shoot specific scenes exclusively for IMAX aspect ratios, so viewers see more image in IMAX theaters than standard cinemas.
Why IMAX Still Matters Today
More than 50 years after its invention, IMAX remains one of the few cinema brands audiences instantly recognize worldwide. That matters because most movie technologies become invisible over time.
People do not usually ask:
Which projector brand was used?
Which speaker system powered the theater?
But they do ask:
“Was it shot in IMAX?”
That shows how deeply the brand reshaped cinema culture.
Even in 2026, IMAX continues expanding globally as demand for premium movie experiences grows.
Final Thoughts
IMAX was not created by a giant Hollywood studio. It began with four Canadians experimenting with film technology and trying to fix the limitations of multi-screen cinema. What they built became one of the most influential innovations in movie history. They transformed cinema from something audiences simply watched into something audiences could physically feel. And that changed movies forever.
Keep navigating The ScreenLight for more such information.
