
Which Format Should You Choose To See ‘Superman' In The Cinema?
If I close my eyes, I can recall the green exercise book in which I'd written my review for English homework of the greatest film I'd ever seen in the cinema. It was the summer of 1981 and the movie was Superman II. Of course, having just turned seven years old, my cinematic repertoire wasn't extensive, but I think I can give my young self some credit for the enthusiasm – the movie still holds up.
Of course, Superman is one of the iconic characters in cinema, and after months of buzz and anticipation, James Gunn's version, the fourth iteration of the Man of Steel on the big screen, has finally landed in theaters.
As per the recent Jurassic World movie, the aim from the director is to draw on inspiration from the first iteration, when Christopher Reeve brought his iconic version to life in the 1970s, with David Corenswet's version a return to its comic book roots and a more hopeful version of the character, which arguably is exactly what audiences need right now and although inevitably there are naysayers, the first reviews seem to be positive.
As you'd expect for what could be the biggest film of the year, the movie is available in nearly every format possible so let's run through them.
IMAX
As a larger-than-life character such as Superman, giant IMAX screens make for an obvious match. As James Gunn says in the IMAX BTS video, 'Seeing Superman fly, you want as much frame as you possibly can.'
Captured digitally on a 6K Red Komodo, with a 4K digital intermediate, the movie is 'Filmed for IMAX'. In this case, this means it has undergone the IMAX DMR process and will be in 1.90:1 in all IMAX screens for the whole duration of the movie.
Note that in all non-IMAX screens it is presented in pillar boxed 1.85:1. However, as the IMAX image is only 2.7% this pillar boxing will be barely noticeable on 1.85:1 screens – but will have larger pillar boxes on wider 'scope' 2.39:1 screens.
Interestingly, 3D has made a minor comeback with Superman, with stereoscopic fans having a choice of five variations to choose from and IMAX 3D is one of them.
3D always works best at scale and no one does that better than IMAX. In the UK, only the BFI IMAX and Manchester Printworks will be showing it in IMAX 3D, with not even the GT dual-laser IMAX screen in Leicester Square offering it, while in the USA, you can find it in IMAX 3D on AMC screens.
For 3D, you'll want your IMAX theater to have a laser projector for a brighter image to make up for the light loss from the glasses. IMAX Laser screens are also paired with 12-channel audio, which adds a height layer, which is exactly what you want for a movie like Superman.
Dolby Cinema
Another great premium option is Dolby Cinema, which, thanks to its high brightness levels, offers extended dynamic range images, with Dolby Vision creating truly deep blacks and bright whites, along with a wide color gamut.
To my surprise, I also noticed that it is available, in limited showings, in Dolby Cinema 3D, and this will be another fine choice. I recently saw Jurassic World Rebirth in this format at the very lovely Cinema in the Power Station, in Battersea, London, and was blown away by the natural, eye-strain-free quality of the image.
While the brightness levels are inevitably a lot less for 3D, Dolby can still reach 48 nits, so that the image is still color-rich and pleasing. Dolby is also matched with Dolby Atmos audio, and its ability to place objects in a 3D space should be fantastic for the maelstrom of Kryptonian vs Kaiju and other assorted baddies.
HDR by Barco
In technical terms, HDR by Barco even outdoes Dolby, with even higher brightness and clever 'Lightsteering' tech enabling true cinematic HDR images, which, combined with Dolby Atmos, will be an amazing experience. While the format gained a boost this week with the news that it will be coming to 50 locations across Europe by the end of the year, as it stands, your options are limited to just a few locations, so it's not a mainstream option yet.
Premium Large Format
Regular premium large format (PLF) is a good replacement. While there's no HDR, you'll get bright and sharp, laser-based 4K projection on a larger than standard screen, Dolby Atmos audio and comfy seats — popcorn-tastic!
Each cinema chain uses its own brand name for PLF, so in the USA, look out for Prime at AMC, Regal RPX, Cineplex UltraAVX, and Cinemark XD. In the UK, it's Cineworld Superscreen, Odeon iSense, or OmniplexMAXX, with the first EPIC by Vue, in Nottingham, opening just too late for Superman. If you are a stereoscopic fan, I note that Regal is even offering a 3D option in RPX.
Emphasizing the global popularity of the character, Superman is even getting a release in China, with its homegrown premium Cinity format offering up a similar experience to Dolby Cinema.
4DX 3D
With Superman, you know that there is likely to be a large percentage of swirling, swooping flying action, and if you want to physically get a sense of it, then the bucking seats of 4DX are a tempting option. As kickers in the seat back convey every punch, you'll also get blasts of air, flashing lights and smoke effects. With 3D also the default option, 4DX is the way to go if you're looking for sensory overload.
Side-screen action
Other formats include ScreenX, which has footage that extends down screens at the sides of the auditorium, and in the USA, there is also ICE, which has panels down the side to match the content on the main screen. While the idea works for music, I find these mostly distracting for a movie, so it wouldn't be something I'd recommend.
Standard Digital
The final option is a standard theatre, which will be offering Superman in 2D or RealD 3D. If you go for the latter, then, as ever, try and seek out a screen with laser projection, as conventional Xenon-lamp-based projectors with older bulbs can already lack brightness, which, when you combine with the light loss from the 3D glasses, will make for a lackluster image. And your standard, regular 2D digital theatre? Well, it has the advantage of being the most inexpensive option, and if that means you can afford to take the family to see Superman and Louis Lane, then it's a very choice indeed.
Further reading
HDR By Barco Projection Technology To Underpin New 'EPIC By Vue' Branding
Barco HDR Cinema Tech To Reach 30 US Theatres By The End Of 2025
Regal Cineworld To Bring Barco Laser Projection To 4000 Screens By 2030
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Snooki reunites with cop who arrested her for being drunk on 'Jersey Shore'
"What did you think when you saw me being disgusting on the beach?" Snooki is taking it back to when the Polizzi met the police. 15 years ago, Jersey Shore star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi was arrested for public drunkenness while strolling the titular strand of commercialized New Jersey coastline. Now taking fans back to one of the most sensational moments in reality TV history by reuniting with the cop who arrested her. "Alright TikTok, it's happening - my anniversary of getting arrested on the beach is coming up this week!" the 37-year-old TV personality proclaimed in a video shared on Monday. In order to drum up buzz for a new line of arrest-themed apparel dropping at her Seaside Heights, N.J. merch store, Polizzi then announced, "I'm also seeing again the cop that arrested me. I haven't seen him since that fateful day where he did arrest me. I haven't seen him since, so it's going to be a little reunion today at the Snooki shop." On the 2010 episode of the reality series' 3rd season, the motley cast of beach rats descended on the shore, with Polizzi characteristically outdrinking the group, and expectedly, not handling it very well. Polizzi is seen falling over, yelling expletives, and crying out, "Where is beach!" despite walking directly toward it. Before she knew it, she was being arrested by a police officer who'd been contracted by Jersey Shore network MTV to help keep the peace. She was eventually charged with disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, and criminal annoyance. "It was just like, 'Alright, she's getting out of hand. If this was anybody else, we would arrest them.' So they had to arrest me. I was nuts,'" she admitted to PEOPLE in a Wednesday interview. In her first of two TikTok videos chronicling the reunion with Officer Joe Fastige, Polizzi asked her former arresting officer, "That day, what was going through your mind? What did you think when you saw me being disgusting on the beach?" For the first time, Fastige was able to provide his side of events, which ended up being touchingly sympathetic toward Polizzi. "Not disgusting," he reassured her, "just having a little bit of fun. Too much fun, but that's okay. Honestly, I don't know. I was 21 years old at the time... a baby cop, a year out of the academy, and I was getting paid a little bit of overtime to kind of watch you guys." Fastige corroborated Polizzi's memory that "a bystander was like, 'We wouldn't allow anyone else to do this right now'... and then I did what I had to do. But it's okay, everyone makes mistakes. Everyone gets a little bit too drink and [forgets] where the beach is, even if the beach is right under your feet," he joked."He was very nice. We did funny little TikToks of reminiscing and reenacting him arresting me. But he's a nice guy," Polizzi told PEOPLE. She also explained that even then, she wouldn't let all the backlash from viewers critical of her behavior on the show get to her: "I never took myself seriously, thank God, so when people talked about me bad or made fun of me, I'm just like, 'Whatever, let me live.'" Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Challenge Premiere: Cara Maria Sorbello Breaks Down That ‘Wild' First Challenge, Why [Spoiler] Was Eliminated
The Challenge: Vets and New Threats! New threats have officially invaded The Challenge! More from TVLine Destination X Winner Revealed! Grade Season 1 and the Finale Leanne Morgan Tees Up Her Netflix Comedy From EP Chuck Lorre, Reveals How Her Real-Life Husband Feels About TV Hubby Ryan Stiles NBC Reveals Fall Premiere Dates for #OneChicago, SVU and More - Plus, Organized Crime Returns! In the competition series' Season 41 premiere, 16 veterans are each paired with a rookie partner for a rough-and-tumble battle for all the glory. And with most of the early housekeeping having been taken care of in the Day Zero launch special, this episode hurls us directly into the season's first challenge, which sees players diving into a huge mud pit to collect balls worth varying degrees of points. The kicker? Partners are tied together and must move in tandem. 'The hardest part about this type of challenge is just making use of the area that you're in,' two-time winner Cara Maria Sorbello tells TVLine. 'You could be in a muddier area, a drier area. You might have to make your way around. And then you're tied to your partner. So when you're running down, you could be going for one thing, they could be going for the other thing. I thought Jake and I did incredibly well, so I was actually surprised when they counted the balls. I was like, 'What the heck?' I thought we crushed it, and then as soon as I come out and I look at everybody else's baskets and I'm like, 'Holy hell, how did they do this?' I heard people were kicking balls to each other, people were partnering up, so I don't know, it was a wild one. It was tough, but I like that. I like the type of challenges where you have to grind it out.' This season, the Top 8 teams of each challenge will earn and accumulate points. The results of 'Mud Ball Madness' are as follows: Nia and Justin (came in 8th place, earned 1 point), Leroy and Sydney (7th place, 2 points), Ashley and Gabe (6th place, 3 points), Michaela and Will (5th place, 4 points), Olivia and Cedric (4th place, 5 points), Theo and Izzy (3rd place, 6 points), Aviv and Yeremi (2nd place, 7 points) and Bananas and Dee (1st place, 8 points). Bananas and Dee win safety, along with the power to save one team from elimination. As for Rogan and Adrienne, last place sends them directly into to the Arena. TJ flips a coin to determine whether it's going to be a male or female elimination, and unfortunately for Rogan, he's doomed to hit the sand. New threat Justin is then voted in to join him. In 'Intertia,' players must maneuver a large hamster wheel-like contraption along a three-bump track. The first person to get down the track and back wins and stays in the game. But the elimination turns out to be a lot harder than it looks. 'Looking at what this is off the bat, I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, Justin doesn't stand a chance,'' says Sorbello. 'He's a little peanut in this hamster cage. All Rogan has to do is give one hard ram into it and he's a rugby player, you know? Game over. This thing's gonna flop around and he's got this in two seconds. And boy was I wrong!' A totally spent Rogan doesn't have what it takes, and underestimated Cheer vet Justin wins the elimination and his Challenge stripes in one fell swoop. 'It took a really long time. It was really frustrating,' Sorbello continues. 'I know Rogan got gassed because I think Rogan was going for pure brutality and strength, and Justin didn't have that. So he had to be creative. He had gymnastics and he had cheerleading, and he started using a really good strategy and did it just the way it was supposed to be [done], and with a little flair too, to be honest.' Were you surprised by the Arena's outcome? And what did think of the premiere? Grade it below, then light up the comments! Best of TVLine Yellowjackets' Tawny Cypress Talks Episode 4's Tai/Van Reunion: 'We're All Worried About Taissa' Vampire Diaries Turns 10: How Real-Life Plot Twists Shaped Everything From the Love Triangle to the Final Death Vampire Diaries' Biggest Twists Revisited (and Explained)
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why Lydia Plath Was 'Shocked' When Her Husband Zac Suggested 'Not Kissing Until Our Wedding Day'
"I was just shocked in my seat because it's something that I had wanted, but I didn't want it to be a legalistic thing," Plath explainedNEED TO KNOW Lydia Plath shared how she and husband Zac Wyse decided to wait for their wedding to have their first kiss during an appearance on the July 30 episode of The Jinger and Jeremy Podcast The couple, who got married in February after six months of dating, explained that they both wanted to save physical intimacy for marriage Plath said they "experienced so much joy" and got to know each other better by not kissing while they datedLydia Plath is reflecting on how it felt to wait to have her first kiss with husband Zac Wyse at their wedding. Nearly six months after tying the knot, the couple shared the impact that saving physical intimacy for marriage has had on their relationship. Plath revealed that Wyse introduced the idea the same night he asked her to be his girlfriend, and she was quick to say "yes" to both. 'Zac was just like, 'This is really random and this is not something I've ever thought about, but I just keep [feeling] this unction from the Holy Spirit to just ask you what you'd think about saving our first kiss for our wedding day. Like, if that comes, not kissing until our wedding day,'' she recalled on The Jinger and Jeremy Podcast. 'I was just shocked in my seat because it's something that I had wanted, but I didn't want it to be a legalistic thing. I didn't want it to be a rule we had to follow because of X, Y and Z.' 'I wanted him to initiate it,' she added of why she didn't bring it up first. 'I wanted the guy to initiate it because it was in his heart — because if he was going to be the one leading, he would have to have that desire. So when he said that, I was just like, 'Funny you ask.'' Wyse explained that 'it wasn't something serious' when he first asked Plath to wait for their first kiss. Rather, he said it was a sign of him 'wanting to honor' her and 'be intentional' as they got to know each other. 'I want it to mean something, I want it to have purpose,' he remembered thinking. Despite being on the same page, the pair said they 'took a few days' to be sure that they were 'ready to make this commitment' and had the discipline to do so. 'On top of that, to clarify, we both had our first kiss in previous relationships,' Wyse noted. 'And so for this to come up was truly because it was lingering on my heart for so long. I was just like, 'This is different. There's a purity about her. There's an honoring I want to have towards her that leads me to keep thinking about this, and so I'm going to bring it up to her to see if this is something that I can truly honor her in.' They acknowledged that some people who withhold physical intimacy 'go from zero to 100 super quick after you're married,' but they were different. 'There's such a beauty about it in respecting the other, and it truly is a great physical boundary,' Wyse explained. 'Because then there were so many other ways that we were able to build trust for one another and just enjoy different moments because we're not kissing and because we're not falling into different physical things. It's like, no, we get to dance or have more enjoyable moments like running around or frolicking or doing whatever because we're not kissing." "And not to say that kissing is bad," he continued. "But it was interesting to find the alternatives in it.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Plath agreed, saying she cherishes all the memories they made while dating when most couples would have been "making out." 'I can't tell you how many times we experienced so much joy that we were just like, 'This is even better than kissing right now,'" she said. "'Like, I don't know where this joy is coming from, but I feel so close to you right now because of the conversations we've had, because of how intentional we've been.'' Read the original article on People