What Is Infinity Vision, and How Is It Different From IMAX?

Disney's Infinity Vision site on October 10, 2026. It is a ticket and theater finder for the first two films. Screenshot by Owl3D of infinityvisiontickets.com; artwork: Disney.

What Infinity Vision is, and what it is not

Disney's site defines it in one line: "INFINITY VISION is a certification for Premium Large Format (PLF) theaters" [1]. Premium large format is the industry's term for the big-screen rooms that theater chains sell under names of their own. Disney's head of theatrical distribution, Andrew Cripps, counted "75 exhibitor-owned PLF brands in North America" in June 2026 [5]. Infinity Vision is one label that Disney can put on the rooms that qualify, whatever the chain calls them.

So when the words appear beside a showtime, Disney's account is that the theater applied and the room was certified [1]. They do not mean any of the following.

• A new technology. Disney: "No, INFINITY VISION is a certification, not a technology" [1].
• A new kind of auditorium, or a replacement for the one you know. Disney: "No, your favorite PLF brand stays exactly as it is." It asks you to "Think of it as a seal of quality on top of a brand you already know and love" [1]. Event Cinemas in Australia tells its customers the same: "Your favourite formats such as V-Max, 4DX and SCREENX stay exactly as they are" [13].
• A Disney projection system. The trade site Celluloid Junkie, reporting Cripps's June talk to theater owners, put it this way: "Infinity Vision is not a proprietary projection system. It does not prevent an auditorium from playing non-Disney titles" [5]. The same room shows other studios' films, without the label.

Two things do come with the badge besides the logo. Infinity Vision tickets went on pre-sale before standard tickets, IndieWire reported in September 2026 [9]. And a badged screen may get a different copy of the film. Cripps said in June: "We’re going to have different content for the Infinity Vision screens", and "every movie I think will be different" [5]. For Endgame: Encore that meant extra footage; see which version has the new scenes.

Does Disney inspect the rooms? Its site says: "Theaters apply for certification and are evaluated against rigorous standards" [1]. In June 2026 Cripps told theater owners "It’s voluntary", and "We don’t have a team of people that we can send out and check" [5]. Deadline reported on June 24 that Disney had received "more than 7,500 applications from global exhibitor screens" and "is in the process of verifying those screens" [4]. None of the sources we read says how.

What a theater needs to get the badge

The wording has changed since the announcement at CinemaCon on April 16, 2026 [3], and one figure in circulation is not Disney's. Here are the three versions, with who said each.

The last row is Disney's own wording today. Deadline reported the same three requirements on June 24, 2026, when Disney's distribution team was at the CineEurope trade show [4]. If you have read "50 feet", that is the figure Reactor attributed to Bloomberg. Disney's own number is 45.

Three things to know about Disney's list:

• 2D brightness: 14 foot-lamberts. A foot-lambert (fL) is a unit of screen brightness. Disney's minimum for a 2D picture is 14 [1]. In 2018 the trade publication Display Daily gave "the DCI specification of 14 fL" for a 2D cinema picture [10].
• Laser is not on it. The April wording named laser projection. The list on Disney's site names a brightness level instead, and says nothing about HDR, seats or the shape of the picture [1].
• Some rooms may qualify without meeting it. Disney: "Fully Immersive 4D and Sidewall screens, regardless of the above, may qualify for IV certification" [1]. HOYTS in New Zealand lists "immersive experiences (e.g. panoramic or motion formats)" among the things a room is assessed on [14].

Infinity Vision vs IMAX

Infinity Vision is not a version of IMAX, and the two are different kinds of thing. IMAX is a company. It sells, leases and maintains its own theater systems, and films are shot with its cameras [7][11]. Infinity Vision is a film studio's label on rooms that theater chains built and named themselves [1][5].

Read the two columns differently. Disney's numbers are minimums for getting in, and T3 wrote that "the experience will depend on the specific cinema rather than a single standardised format" [12]. The IMAX brightness, screen and sound figures are what IMAX's own executives told Display Daily in 2018 [10]. They are eight years old and come from one visit to see one laser system, so they do not describe every IMAX room.

What each side says about the other. Asked about Infinity Vision on an April 30, 2026 call with analysts, IMAX's chief financial officer, 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" [7]. Under one explainer video, commenters in about August 2026 used words such as "stickers" and "just a branding thing" [19]. Cripps, speaking to theater owners in June, said Disney had talked "for a while" about how to market premium rooms better, and of Doomsday: "This feels like a really good launch pad for that" [5]. On Disney's films and IMAX, IndieWire reported in September that "several Disney titles for next year are already confirmed for IMAX releases" [9].

And Dolby Cinema? Celluloid Junkie names it, with IMAX and ScreenX, among the brands Disney can already market by name [5]. Deadline described Infinity Vision as "putting a spotlight on non-Imax, 4DX and Dolby screens, which will continue to receive their own Disney tentpole marketing campaigns" [4], and Fandango lists Infinity Vision and Dolby Cinema as separate filters for Doomsday [15]. What Dolby Cinema is, and how its picture compares with IMAX's, is in our guide to RealD 3D, IMAX 3D and Dolby 3D.

Why it exists now: Doomsday, Dune and the IMAX screens

Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three open on the same day, December 18, 2026, and Dune has the IMAX screens. Reactor, on July 21, 2026: "Doomsday is not playing in IMAX during its opening weeks in the United States because Dune: Part Three was first to secure an exclusive contract for the relatively few number of IMAX screens available for the first three weeks of its theatrical run" [6]. The Hollywood Reporter likewise wrote that IMAX had Dune for "an exclusive three week run" [7]. Reactor adds that there was talk of Marvel moving the date, "but they ultimately didn’t budge" [6].

Cripps did not hide the connection: "We have a movie, it’s no secret, at the end of the year, ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ that does not have IMAX" [5]. He also gave a second reason, in Celluloid Junkie's report: Disney can advertise a few well-known names such as IMAX and Dolby Cinema, but not every chain's own big room: "It’s very difficult — impossible — for us to effectively market all of those brands" [5]. One label is something Disney can advertise.

The numbers so far: screens, applications, box office

• April 16, 2026. Disney's press release spoke of "over 75 domestic and 300 global exhibitor PLFs" available to moviegoers [2][3]. In June, Cripps gave nearly the same numbers as counts of brands: "There are 75 exhibitor-owned PLF brands in North America, and there are over 320 exhibitor-owned PLF brands around the world" [5].
• June 24, 2026. More than 7,500 applications from screens worldwide, per Deadline [4].
• September 25 to 27, 2026. Endgame: Encore opened on over 3,000 screens, of which over 1,300 were certified. Those took $13.5 million of the $26 million weekend: "52 percent of the box office from just 43 percent of the screens", per IndieWire [9].
• October 8, 2026. Dark Horizons, summarizing a Bloomberg report, wrote that Disney has held talks with Paramount, Universal, Sony and Lionsgate about using the label, and that around 5,500 screens worldwide are estimated to meet the requirements, "roughly three times the number of IMAX venues" [8]. Neither statement comes from Disney.

Does Infinity Vision cost more?

Not because of the badge, by Disney's account. Its site says: "Ticket prices for INFINITY VISION screens are set by exhibitors, just like any other screen" [1]. Exhibitors are the theater companies. Cripps told them directly: "Distributors don’t set ticket prices, you do", and "There’s no premium that Disney’s charging. Exhibitors are free to charge whatever they want" [5].

IndieWire reported after Endgame: Encore opened that "many of these Infinity Vision screens do not come with an added surcharge", and that "it’s only an upcharge if the exhibitor already classified it as one of their PLF screens" [9]. By IndieWire's account, then, a badged room costs more than a standard one only where the theater already priced that room as premium. Compare the price of the badged showing with the same theater's standard showing before you buy.

We have not compared ticket prices ourselves.

Is Infinity Vision 3D? Do you need glasses?

No. Infinity Vision is not a 3D format. It certifies a room's screen width, sound and brightness [1].

A 3D showing can carry the badge, though. Disney's standard has a 3D brightness level, 6 foot-lamberts [1]. On Fandango's Doomsday listings for December 18, as we saw them on October 10, 2026, one set of showtimes at Regal Union Square ScreenX & 4DX was tagged "Digital 3D, Reserved seating, No passes, Closed caption, Accessibility devices available, Stadium Seating, Infinity Vision" [15]. Fandango also lists "Infinity Vision" and "3D" as separate filters, so one does not imply the other [15].

So glasses come with a 3D showing, not with the badge. Nothing on Disney's site describes 3D without glasses [1]. Which glasses you get depends on the theater's 3D system: RealD 3D vs IMAX 3D vs Dolby 3D.

Which showing to book

• You wanted IMAX for Doomsday. In the US it is not on offer in the opening weeks [6]. The badge is how Disney points you to the other large rooms [4].
• Your theater's big room has its own name, such as XD or RPX. If the room is certified, the badge goes on top of that name and, Disney says, the room's own brand "stays exactly as it is" [1]. Do not assume a named room has it: on the Fandango page we read on October 10, 2026, the RPX showings at two Regal theaters carried no Infinity Vision tag [15]. What those names mean is in our guide to the words on a ticket page.
• There is no IMAX near you. That is the case the label is aimed at: Celluloid Junkie describes it as a brand that "helps consumers identify premium non-IMAX auditoriums" [5]. Use the finders below.
• You care most about 3D. Pick by the 3D system and the room, then see whether the showing also has the badge: 3D and glasses.
• You are seeing Endgame: Encore for the new scenes. The version matters: see below.

The badge tells you Disney certified the room against its minimums. It does not tell you how far above them the room is, or whether the sound is Dolby Atmos or 7.1, since either is accepted [1]. Look at the room's own listing for that.

Avengers Endgame: Encore: which version has the new scenes

Endgame: Encore is the 2019 film with new material added, and the Infinity Vision showings were announced as having more of it. Deadline reported on June 24, 2026 that Disney announced the Infinity Vision release would include "a custom introduction, additional new footage, and a special end tag exclusive to Infinity Vision and Imax releases" [4].

Two outlets gave running times on September 24, 2026, the day before the September 25 release. Neither is Disney. The 2019 film ran 181 minutes [16][17].

Both outlets give the Infinity Vision showing about three minutes more than a regular one. On IMAX the sources differ: Disney's June announcement names IMAX with Infinity Vision for the end tag, and Murphy's Multiverse expected IMAX to get the regular cut. All three were published before the film opened, and we have not seen any version. Two viewers' accounts are below.

For Doomsday, none of the sources we read says whether Infinity Vision showings carry anything extra.

How to find an Infinity Vision screen

• Disney's finder. The Infinity Vision site has a map headed "FIND YOUR NEAREST INFINITY VISION THEATER", with a filter for each film [1].
• Fandango. On the Doomsday showtimes page, the format filter has an Infinity Vision choice. The one badged showing we saw had "Infinity Vision" at the end of its small print [15].
• The theater's own site, app or box office. Disney: "Look for the INFINITY VISION mark at your theater, when browsing showtimes online, or at the point of sale" [1]. Event Cinemas tells customers to "look for the INFINITY VISION attribute next to session times on the Event Cinemas website or app" [13], and HOYTS says "Applicable sessions will display an Infinity Vision attribute or icon on the HOYTS website, app or ticket kiosk" [14].

If your chain's app shows only its own name for the room, check the same showtime on Disney's finder or on Fandango. Two ticket buyers say the AMC app showed them no Infinity Vision label: what moviegoers report.

What moviegoers report

These are people's own accounts, from comments under two YouTube explainers. We have not been to an Infinity Vision showing and have not checked any of them. YouTube shows only how long ago a comment was posted, so the dates are approximate.

In the room. Two commenters, both about the end of September 2026, after Endgame: Encore opened (video) [18]:

• "Look, all I know is that the "infinity vision" auditorium had the better screen, the better sound, the better stadium seating, the better tray tables, the better seats, so im there lol"
• "Saw Endgame encore on Thursday in an Infinity Vision approved theater." This viewer adds: "The movie itself had an aspect ratio close if not the same as the Imax version of the movie", and that "some scenes looked like they were stretched". That is one viewer's account.

The Encore scenes. Two commenters under the same video [18]. One, about October 5, 2026, went to a showing without the badge: "I was upset when i went to watch encore for 4 new scenes but only seeing 2 because i didn’t watch it under infinity vision." The other, about the end of September, reports the opposite problem: "Wait I saw it on infinity vision. I didn’t see a sneak peak". We cannot tell why.

A room that got the badge. One commenter in a city with a Landmark Cinemas, about the second half of September 2026, on that theater's best room: "It’s not an IMAX but has Dolby Atmos and “Laser Ultra.” The one here got certified for Infinity Vision." [18] That is one person at one theater.

The label missing from the AMC app. Two commenters, about August 2026, on ordering Doomsday tickets (video) [19]. One: "I'm sure it has the label but it wasn't in the AMC app when ordering it." The other says "the tickets just defaulted with the Dolby Cinema badge for all the showings". Neither says whether the room they booked has the badge at all.

Frequently asked questions

Is Infinity Vision like THX?

Commenters bring up THX [18]. The difference our sources point to is inspection. Celluloid Junkie wrote after Cripps's June talk that there were "no inspectors, no THX-style audit process" [5]. Disney's site says theaters apply and are evaluated [1].

Is Infinity Vision better than IMAX?

There is no single answer, because Infinity Vision is not one kind of room. Two badged auditoriums can have different screens, projectors and sound, as long as each meets the minimums [12]. The published brightness numbers, side by side: Disney's minimum for a 2D picture is 14 foot-lamberts [1]; IMAX's own figure for 2D was 22, in Display Daily's 2018 report [10]. The first is a floor for many kinds of room, read in 2026. The second is one company's figure from eight years ago. We have not seen a film in either for this guide.

Will other movies be in Infinity Vision?

Disney's site says the two Avengers films are the first, "with more upcoming releases to follow" [1]. As of late September 2026, IndieWire wrote that "no other movies are currently scheduled to open in Infinity Vision" [9]. Other studios have been approached; Cripps said in June that they "are waiting to see how it rolls out" [5].

Does it replace IMAX or Dolby Cinema at my theater?

No, by Disney's account. Its site says the badge is "a certification, not a technology", added to a room a theater already has, and that the room's own brand "stays exactly as it is" [1].

Is Infinity Vision only in the US?

No. Disney's site carries statements from the heads of Vue, Cinepolis and TOHO Cinemas [1]. Event Cinemas in Australia and HOYTS in New Zealand have their own pages about it, and HOYTS lists it at "select HOYTS Cinemas" [13][14].