FILMED FOR IMAX — Then Why Are IMAX Screens Nowhere to Be Found?
Here’s the part nobody wants to say out loud: what’s the point of marketing a film as “FILMED FOR IMAX” if audiences can barely find an IMAX show? That is exactly the frustration building around End of Oak Street, with Warner Bros. heavily pushing the IMAX credentials and fans deliberately waiting for the premium-format experience, only to discover that actual IMAX availability is frustratingly limited.
The promise was massive. The screen count isn’t. For fans who specifically chose to wait for IMAX, the marketing created a clear expectation: this was supposed to be experienced on the biggest, best screens possible. Instead, audiences are finding precious few opportunities to actually watch it in the format that was used as a major selling point.
And now Disney’s Dog Stars appears to be facing a similar problem. The concern is bigger than one film. If studios continue promoting IMAX as a major theatrical attraction but cannot secure meaningful opening-week access, audiences will eventually start questioning the entire proposition.
Sony, meanwhile, seems to understand the game better. The studio has reportedly been far more selective about attaching the IMAX branding to its movies when it cannot secure meaningful opening exclusivity. That approach makes the premium-format label feel like an actual commitment rather than simply another marketing badge.
Because IMAX is supposed to mean something. Fans are paying attention, planning around releases, and sometimes even travelling specifically for premium screens. If the marketing says IMAX but the schedules say otherwise, the disconnect is impossible to ignore.
The brutal truth? You cannot sell the dream of IMAX and then make fans hunt for the screen. If studios want audiences to keep paying a premium for the format, they need to deliver the experience—not merely advertise it.