Bengies boasts the biggest movie screen in America, at 52 feet high and 120 feet wide. In 2016, AMC acquired Carmike Cinemas. Regal Entertainment Group is one of the largest movie theater chains in the U.S. In 2017, it was purchased by the U.K.-based company Cineworld. AMC is the nation’s largest movie-theater chain with 636 locations and 8,094 screens. Cinemark has 331 theaters and 4,517 screens. The 329-seat theater in Austin is home to the biggest screen in Texas – six stories high and 84 feet wide. It has the highest-resolution cameras in the world. Projection lights are so bright you can see them from the moon.
IMAX Theaters
An IMAX theater has a huge rectangular screen. A typical IMAX screen is 52 by 72 feet. The largest IMAX screen is 98 feet high. A typical theater screen costs from $25 to $250. The price depends on material, size and aspect ratio. Dolby Cinema has a dual-laser projection on a 60-by-32-foot movie screen. The planned IMAX screen in California would be the largest in the United States at seven stories tall and 971⁄2 feet wide. As a rule, the larger the auditorium, the larger the movie screen. Screens range from 30 to 90 feet wide by 10 to 30 feet tall. The giant IMAX screen in Kansas City is 84 feet wide and 65 feet tall. It is one of the most advanced technologically. The world’s tallest IMAX screen is in Georgia at 101 feet wide and 76 feet 2 inches tall.
Largest IMAX Screens Comparison
The largest IMAX screen in the USA is planned for California at seven stories tall and 971⁄2 feet wide. Currently, the world’s largest IMAX screen is in Sydney, Australia at 97 feet wide.
A standard IMAX screen compared to a typical movie screen:
- IMAX: 72 feet wide and 53 feet tall
- Typical movie screen: 30 to 90 feet wide and 10 to 30 feet tall
The IMAX screen at AMC Lincoln Square in New York is the biggest in North America at 72 feet wide and 52 feet tall with 3,600 square feet total.
In 2021, Germany debuted an IMAX screen measuring 70 feet tall and 125 feet wide, wider than a Boeing airplane. IMAX provides an immersive, theater-quality audio-visual experience using high-resolution cameras, film, and projectors.
The best IMAX seats are in the middle, a few rows from the back. This centers viewers for the most immersive experience. While IMAX and 3D are different, IMAX 3D provides a profoundly intense movie experience by projecting separate left and right eye images. Overall, IMAX delivers superior sound and visuals over standard movie formats.