The latest James Bond adventure Skyfall is not only breaking overseas box office records for the franchise in its initial two weeks of release, but it is also the first Bond film to be released in the IMAX format.
As the film opens around the US this weekend, fans may be wondering what extra they will be getting for the IMAX upcharge tacked onto their ticket. IMAX has released a comparison of how the film will look in the traditional 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio and the 1.90:1 ratio for the IMAX release. (Click on the picture for a larger view.)
For IMAX purists, though, this is still a far cry from the format’s traditional 1.43:1 ratio screens and 70mm print projection. This is due to the film’s cinematographer Roger Deakins shooting the film with the Arri Alexa M digital camera rather than the bulkier IMAX film cameras as opposed to the IMAX sequences in The Dark Knight Rises and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, which did use the cameras. Still, Deakins and Skyfall director Sam Mendes worked under the assumption that the film would be presented in both versions and framed what they shot accordingly.
