It’s time to start preparing for the upcoming 2025 movies my friends. I mean, if you’re like me, you’ve been preparing for some time. But now we’re knocking on the door of a new calendar, and that brings us closer to finally seeing James Gunn’s Superman in theaters.
With fans anticipating the upcoming DC movie’s July release, there’s been some big confusion cropping up over how we’ll be able to enjoy the film in theaters. And that question focuses on a pretty powerful format.
The IMAX Question Fans Are Asking About James Gunn's Superman
With IMAX being a huge draw for tentpole movies like Superman for some time now, the question I found myself asking not too long ago is now a matter of public record: what type of IMAX experience are we getting with Superman, or any movie that markets itself in that venue?
Forbes has become the latest outlet to provide a detailed breakdown of the difference between the three marketing taglines the company uses to promote its releases. And as you’ll see below, it’s a very subtle difference:
- “Shot With IMAX” - Filmed on IMAX 70mm cameras, like Oppenheimer.
- “Filmed For IMAX” - Shot with “IMAX-certified” cameras, like Superman.
- “Experience It In IMAX” - Shot on film or digital, and digitally converted through IMAX’s Digital Media Remastering (DMR) process.
The devil truly is in the details with this super powered quandary. With audiences flocking to Interstellar’s complicated IMAX 70mm revival, just as they did with Oppenheimer’s insanely popular IMAX run, people ask this question a lot more often than you’d think. But in this particular case, the confusion was spurred on by curious parties questioning a statement James Gunn made earlier this year.
What James Gunn Has Said About Superman's IMAX Form
In March of 2024, James Gunn answered a fan question on Threads when showing off footage shot at Svalbard for Superman. Wondering if that location’s splendor was captured in format, an admirer asked the current co-CEO of DC Films for clarification. In his answer, Gunn said the following:
The whole movie is shot in IMAX.
Having the cheat sheet list above, we can now see the root of the confusion at hand. The wording above is a bit of a mashup between a movie being “shot with” IMAX and “filmed for” that premium large format. In the report sourced for this story, it was confirmed that Superman was filmed using the “IMAX-certified RED V-Raptor” camera.
So knowing what we know now, this would place Henry Corenswet’s debut as the Man of Steel right in the “Filmed For IMAX” bucket the Superman teaser trailer specified. But fans were probably confused by the Guardians of the Galaxy helmer's choice of words, which could be misconstrued as "Shot With IMAX."
I know, it’s a lot to keep track of, and this entire story has been splitting some very specific hairs. As such, I feel we all deserve a reward, in the form of that Superman teaser, included below for your decompression and entertainment:
I do believe a man can fly…and you will too, when Superman arrives in our galaxy yet again, on July 11, 2025! In the meantime, if you need something to keep your cape flying with true hope, you should use your Max subscription to catch Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.
