With the upcoming releases of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday, Disney has been promoting a new premium format for movie theaters: Infinity Vision. The tricky thing for the House of Mouse is that the new MCU movies are both getting released against some major competition on the 2026 movie schedule: The Odyssey for Spidey and Dune Part III for Doomsday. What’s even more challenging for Disney is that both of those movies have exclusive holds on IMAX theaters around the world. This seems to be what has motivated the company to come up with Infinity Vision.
Like many, I wondered exactly what the new format consists of, so I went down the rabbit hole to find out. (A different rabbit hole from Alice's, to be sure.)
So What Does Infinity Vision Mean?
For starters, I need to point out that Infinity Vision is not the same as other premium formats, like IMAX. Disney is not designing and building new theaters to create a new experience for filmgoers.
Back in April at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Disney unveiled Infinity Vision, and in a press release, the company describes the certification of movie theaters around the country as having:
- The largest screens for maximum scale
- Laser projection for superior brightness and clarity
- Premium audio formats for fully immersive sound
The Head of Theatrical Distribution for Disney, Andrew Cripps, wrote this in regards to the certification:
Infinity Vision certification extends that commitment to the theaters themselves, representing a shared effort between The Walt Disney Studios and the exhibition community to help audiences quickly find the very best screens in their area to experience our films in exactly the way they’re designed to be seen – on a huge screen with the sharpest, clearest color and sound.
If it still seems a little bit nebulous, know that there are clear standards set forth, per the FAQ on the Infinity Vision ticketing website:
- Screen: Minimum of 45 feet wide
- Sound: Theaters with either Immersive sound (like Dolby Atmos) or 7.1 sound
- Projection: Theaters with brightness levels reaching either 14 footlamberts in 2D and/or 6 footlamberts in 3D
Okay, so what does all that mean? Well, it means that only the biggest (non-premium large format screens, or PLFs, like IMAX) and brightest screens in theaters with state-of-the-art sound systems will qualify for the designation. It’s important to note, per Disney’s FAQ that:
INFINITY VISION is a certification, not a technology. It verifies that a theater meets the high standards for screen quality, sound, and projection
According to the Disney press release, there are at least 75 theaters in the United States and more than 300 worldwide that have received the certification, though that number may be low, as thousands have since applied to be included in the designation.
Why Is Disney Doing This?
There is a pretty simple answer to why Disney has made a push for this. Getting locked out of PLFs like IMAX will likely put a serious dent in the box office hauls for their two Marvel tent poles in 2026. The company is also releasing Avengers: Endgame in September, under the new name Avengers: Endgame Encore with bonus footage for screenings in theaters that meet the qualifications for Infinity Vision. Endgame Encore will be the first movie released in theaters with the certifications.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will not be part of the rollout, but almost certainly played a role in the development of Infinity Vision. The Tom Holland and Zendaya-led superhero movie is blocked from IMAX due to Christopher Nolan’s deal to hold exclusivity for The Odyssey for three weeks (partly because he shot the whole movie on IMAX technology). That includes the first week of Brand New Day's run in theaters. When you are counting the upcharge that PLFs enjoy on tickets, it plays an important role in the box office take of any big movie, especially movies like Brand New Day and Doomsday, for which people clamber for PLFs.
Is It Really Just Marketing?
Some of the more cynical critics in Hollywood have dismissed Infinity Vision as a simple marketing strategy for Disney given the situation, but I have a different opinion. I mean, I agree that it is marketing, for sure, but it’s actually helpful marketing. It makes it easy for me and others to identify the best theaters to see the upcoming Marvel movies. I have a pretty good idea which theaters around me would qualify, but seeing it as part of the movie listing on my phone when I go to buy tickets is useful. How much that is worth to people is another question, but for me, it’s worth a couple extra bucks.
I do not doubt that some of those same critics will decry the extra charge for a theater that isn’t really bringing anything new and special to a screening, and that is a fair argument. For me, though, I get it. I get that Disney has to make money here, as losing out on IMAX revenue is certainly going to hurt the overall box office numbers. As I said, I appreciate knowing which theaters will present the movie in the best environment possible. For people who don’t go to the movies as often as I do and who might not immediately know which theaters in their area are the best, this is even more helpful.
Will Infinity Vision Last?
Another question some critics have raised is just how long this format will really be a thing. Again, another fair question. It was invented for the upcoming release of Endgame Encore and, mostly, Doomsday. Will we see it in 2027 with the release of Secret Wars, even if it also gets a more traditional release through PLFs that Doomsday has been locked out of in 2026? I think so, yes. At least for Secret Wars, which will also have stiff competition from Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Beyond that, I’ll just say, I’m dubious as to how long the designation will last.
In the meantime, it seems both Disney and theater owners are all too happy to market the movies this way, and if it works, then I do think we’ll see it more often in the future. If the public decides the differences aren’t worth it, we’ll probably see it quietly go away.
