Why TV inches do not answer “how big is IMAX?”
When you book a film, “IMAX” can mean different rooms: a tall 70mm picture, a wide Laser screen, or a regular multiplex that simply changed its branding. They are not one shared size the way living-room TVs share one diagonal number.
Put a person beside the screen and the metres become something you can feel—roughly how many body-heights wide the picture is.
IMAX size chart (width × height)
Approximate picture sizes in metres, with feet in parentheses. Real theatres vary—use this to compare types, not to look up one specific cinema.
Person in the table: about 1.8 m tall (175 cm).
Large IMAX
- Picture size (m / ft)
- 26 × 14.6 m(85.3 × 47.9 ft)
- Picture shape
- 1.43:1
- Beside a 175 cm person
- about 14.9× as wide as a person
Among the largest true IMAX screens
IMAX 70mm
- Picture size (m / ft)
- 22 × 16 m(72.2 × 52.5 ft)
- Picture shape
- 1.43:1
- Beside a 175 cm person
- about 12.6× as wide as a person
Taller 70mm picture (about 1.43:1)
IMAX Laser
- Picture size (m / ft)
- 18.5 × 9.7 m(60.7 × 31.8 ft)
- Picture shape
- 1.90:1
- Beside a 175 cm person
- about 10.6× as wide as a person
Common Laser IMAX theatre
Regular cinema
- Picture size (m / ft)
- 12 × 5 m(39.4 × 16.4 ft)
- Picture shape
- 2.39:1
- Beside a 175 cm person
- about 6.9× as wide as a person
Typical regular cinema screen
Upgraded cinema
- Picture size (m / ft)
- 14 × 7.5 m(45.9 × 24.6 ft)
- Picture shape
- 1.85:1
- Beside a 175 cm person
- about 8× as wide as a person
Bigger than regular, smaller than full 70mm IMAX
65" TV
- Picture size (m / ft)
- 1.4 × 0.8 m(4.7 × 2.7 ft)
- Picture shape
- 16:9
- Beside a 175 cm person
- about 0.8× as wide as a person
A home TV, for everyday scale
Rounded typical values in metres and feet. The screen at your local cinema may differ.
How much bigger is IMAX than a regular screen?
A typical regular cinema screen is about 12 m wide (about 39 ft). A typical 70mm IMAX picture is often nearly twice that wide—around 22 m (about 72 ft)—and taller too. That “wall of picture” feeling comes from width and height together, not from a TV-style inch number.
Types of IMAX screens
Not every room with an IMAX sign uses the same screen. These are the main types people compare:
- IMAX 70mm: A taller film picture (about 1.43:1), often wider than Laser IMAX. This is what many people mean by “real” 70mm IMAX.
- IMAX Laser: A wide digital picture (about 1.90:1)—still huge, and common in newer multiplexes.
- Large IMAX: Among the biggest true IMAX screens, often found in major cities.
- Regular cinema: A typical widescreen covers far less wall than a true IMAX screen—even when the lobby uses the same brand name.
How this differs from a TV at home
A 65" TV is only about 1.4 m wide (about 4.7 ft). A 70mm IMAX picture can be more than ten times wider. The inch number on a TV box describes a living-room set—not a cinema wall.
Shopping for a living-room TV instead? TV size guide · Compare two TVs