Disney pitches Paramount, Universal on Imax’s big-screen rival

Walt Disney Co. has held talks with other studios about using its new brand for large-screen movie formats , often described as a competitor to Imax Corp. , to market their films, according to people familiar with the matter.

Disney has met with Skydance Corp.’s Paramount Pictures, Comcast Corp.’s Universal Pictures, Lionsgate Studios Corp. and Sony Pictures Entertainment to discuss Infinity Vision — a certification that unites hundreds of existing theater chains’ large-screen formats like AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc.’s XL and Cinemark Holdings Inc.’s XD under one brand — said the people, who asked to not be identified because the discussions were private.

The studios Disney has spoken with so far have shown early interest in the initiative, the people said. Some are waiting to assess the impact of Infinity Vision’s marketing on Disney’s Avengers: Doomsday, which opens the weekend of Dec. 18.

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The inclusion of the presentation standard in the marketing for blockbuster movies from Hollywood’s major studios would lend credibility to the nascent brand.

In April, Disney partnered with movie theatre chains to debut Infinity Vision, which required auditoriums to meet standards including a screen width of around 50-feet, laser projection, and the 7.1 surround-sound system from Dolby Laboratories Inc., Bloomberg reported at the time.

About 5,500 screens globally — about three times the number of Imax venues — meet the standards for Infinity Vision. Disney’s ambition to grow the label is in part the result of the company’s superhero film Avengers: Doomsday not having exclusive access to Imax’s screens. Imax has an agreement in place to screen Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three from Skydance’s Warner Bros. film studio, which opens the same weekend.

The development of Infinity Vision speaks to the strength of Imax, which has become an increasingly crucial component in the making and marketing of Hollywood blockbusters. The company, founded in 1967, works directly with filmmakers and proprietary cameras to capture exceptional detail suitable for large screens. Imax also licenses its technology to cinema chains, and offers round-the-clock quality monitoring and support.