During last month's CinemaCon, Disney announced plans to launch Infinity Vision, a new certification for premium large format (PLF) theaters. Starting with Avengers: Endgame, the "Infinity Vision" branding will also be used for this December's Avengers: Doomsday.
Created in collaboration with global theatrical exhibition partners, Infinity Vision will "signify to audiences which auditoriums offer the biggest, brightest and most immersive cinematic experiences." In doing so, it reportedly sets a new benchmark for theatrical presentation, certifying auditoriums that meet rigorous technical standards.
To make the cut, they'll need to have the largest screens for maximum scale, laser projection for superior brightness and clarity, and premium audio formats for fully immersive sound. With over 75 domestic and 300 global exhibitor PLFs currently available to consumers, the idea behind Infinity Vision is to help audiences identify the best theatrical experience.
Some have speculated that it's a gimmick meant to make up for the fact that Dune: Part Three will be released in IMAX theaters this December, whereas Avengers: Doomsday will not. Now, that's pretty much exactly what IMAX has dismissed Infinity Vision while unveiling its first-quarter financial results.
IMAX CFO Natasha Fernandes said, "From our view, we feel it’s a marketing play to try and offset the fact that they don’t have an IMAX platform or brand for Avengers: Doomsday. It doesn’t offer the consumer anything that they couldn’t get yesterday. "
She added that Marvel fans are "among the savvy and most discerning moviegoers out there. And there’s a reason why we’re the undisputed leader in premium cinema worldwide. No one can match our relationships with filmmakers."
In other words, IMAX isn't concerned about fans being fooled into thinking that seeing Avengers: Doomsday in Infinity Vision will be quite the same experience as true IMAX.
Dune: Part Three will get an exclusive three-week run on the giant-sized screens, which will hurt Avengers: Doomsday's box office takings. It's doubtful that anyone will decide not to see the movie just because it isn't on an IMAX screen, but the Dune threequel definitely has the advantage when "Dunesday" rolls around on December 18.
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.