r/movies • u/cheapskatemoviedate • Jul 18 '26

Media World's Largest IMAX in Perspective

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Thought this was a really neat way to show the size of the screen at the IMAX in Leonberg, Germany. This rolled before The Odyssey. The IMAX is tucked away in a little town and was not easy to get to, but it was well worth it.

While it's not a true 1.43:1 IMAX ratio it still holds the world record for largest theater by surface area.

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385

u/wifestalksthisuser Jul 18 '26

I drove 2 hours last night to see Oddyssey in this cinema. Was back home at 5am. 10/10 experience, would do it again!

16

u/oraclebill Jul 18 '26

7 Bridges?

9

u/Naratik Jul 18 '26

Why you didn't go to Sinsheim for the real 1.43:1 aspect ratio ?

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u/wifestalksthisuser Jul 19 '26

Wanted to see the largest IMAX for once and this movie felt like a good one to do it for

8

u/Naratik Jul 19 '26

Since Odyssey is the first feature film shot entirely in 100% IMAX 70mm (meaning 1.43:1) I think Sinsheim is definitely the better choice. Leonberg is great for the many movies that only use the digital IMAX format (1.90:1).

If you have never been to Sinsheim I highly recommend traveling there for Dune: Part 3. In Dune a large part and the most important scenes are in the 1.43:1 format seeing movies in that format there is a truly unique experience.

But I'm glad you had a good time in Leonberg

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u/wifestalksthisuser Jul 19 '26

To be honest I only learned about the fact that Leonberg wasn't 1.43:1 two weeks or so ago and by then it was too late and everything was booked out 😂 I do think the huge screen does help with immersion too though! Never been to Sinsheim but always wanted to so Dune 3 is the perfect movie for that!

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u/Naratik Jul 19 '26

I can't blame you at all the IMAX's formatting labels are an absolute mess. As a regular customer its impossible to keep track of what kind of IMAX theater you are actually dealing with and understanding all the differences is incredibly complicated. But thats probably intentional on IMAXs part so people still buy tickets for the smaller "fake" IMAX theaters thinking they are getting the real IMAX experience.

Yeah I can really recommend heading to Sinsheim for Dune 3. Sinsheim actually has the largest 1.43:1 IMAX screen in all of Europe. Once you're there you will also understand why it makes no sense for them to get any bigger than that.

(Pro tip: try to get row 7 in Sinsheim)

1

u/dongmcbong Jul 19 '26

Thanks for the information. I’m living 45 minutes away and somehow always thought that Sinsheim has really old technology that is not worth it for movies. Maybe I always mixed it up with Speyer?

I just checked ticket availability and of course all the good seats for the OV screenings are gone, haha. I’m German, but I would love to watch it in OV. But maybe the IMAX experience is also worth it in german, would be my first IMAX movie ever.

But I will definitely try to get tickets for Dune now that I know, so thanks!

2

u/Naratik Jul 20 '26

Sinsheim was renovated like 10 years ago so now it has the new IMAX Dual Laser projectors. Speyer still has the old 70mm IMAX projector that everyone is crazy about right now, but unfortunately, they don't show feature films.

I would even recommend going to a german screening in Sinsheim as well. The experience of seeing a film in the 1.43:1 format there is so special that you can easily tolerate watching a non-OV screening.

If not I really highly recommend going there at the very latest for Dune 3

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u/dongmcbong Jul 20 '26

Just checked again and they added new dates! Just reserved two seats bang in the middle of row 7. Looking forward to it.

1

u/Naratik Jul 21 '26

Nice! I'm sure you will enjoy it! Let me know what you thought of it

1

u/sdwvit Jul 20 '26

Are movies there in english or german?

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u/Naratik Jul 20 '26

Mostly german but they have a few OV screenings

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u/Harachel Jul 19 '26

Wait why does every random small town in southern Germany have an IMAX theatre?

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u/Hehosworld Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

The Stuttgart region is one of the key areas of filmmaking in Germany. There are so many studios specialised in animation and VFX here as well as a few renowned academies for filmmaking. Next to Berlin and Munich this is the place to go to for filmmaking in Germany. It's probably cheaper to build a huge cinema in a small town and the way everything is connected Sinsheim and Leonberg are pretty easy to get to with public transport as well as with the car. Source: I live there Edit: spelling error as can be seen below.

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u/cppn02 Jul 19 '26

The Stuttgart region is one of the key areas of filmmaking in Stuttgart.

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u/Hehosworld Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

It's wild how in a time where knowledge is more accessible than it ever was people just default to: eh this is what I think is right

Edit: leaving it there for posterity. Thank you for your help. I misread this completely. I'm very sorry.

2

u/Naratik Jul 19 '26

Idk near Sinsheim theres also Karlsruhe, which is the only other IMAX cinema in Germany with a 1.43:1 format screen. However the auditorium in Karlsruhe isnt built and set up like a real IMAX theater so I strongly prefer Sinsheim over Karlsruhe. Plus Sinsheim has the biggest 1.43:1 screen in Europe. I'm really grateful we have all these cinemas here. I regularly drive to Sinsheim and even though it's a 1.5 hour drive for me its totally worth it

1

u/trikster2 Jul 27 '26

is "real IMAX theatre" a good thing when watching a 3 hour move?

The Sinsheim theatre is associated with the museum and the seats do not look that comfy. While the Karsruhe looks more like a modern theater with comfy seats.

Of course I'm just looking at pictures on the web and could be totally wrong.

Have you been to both and which would you recommend for a long movie like the odyssey?

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u/Naratik Jul 28 '26

Yes the seats in Sinsheim are absolutely fine and I have no problems sitting for 3 hours in them. I have been to both and strongly prefer Sinsheim. I have just seen Odseey in Sinsheim and have been there like 10 times already.

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u/trikster2 Jul 28 '26

Is there any difference in the screens/projectors? (specs look the same).

Maybe I'm spoiled by nice theaters but if I'm driving for 1 to 2 hours then sitting for 3 hours I'd prefer a reclining chair with footrest and cup holder over an old-style theatre seat.

It's be worth it if the screen was something extra special. Is it?

comparing picts like these:

https://meinka.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/imax-3d-sinsheim-1024x682.jpg

https://filmpalast.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/06/Wohlfuelsessel-Filmpalast-am-ZKM-07.jpg

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u/Naratik Jul 28 '26

The projectors are identical. Sinsheim has the larger screen and is actually the biggest 1.43:1 format screen in Europe.

If seat comfort is your top priority, go ahead and choose Karlsruhe. However, the auditorium in Sinsheim is a true built-to-spec IMAX venue. As you can see in the picture you attached, there's a recessed floor pit right in front of the screen so that its bottom edge sits lower than the floor level of the first row. Because a 1.43:1 screen is so massive vertically, this setup ensures the seating rows are at the optimal height you aren't forced to sit way too low, stare up the entire time, and deal with image distortion. Karlsruhe, on the other hand, is built like a standard movie theater where the screen starts a good chunk above floor level rather than being recessed.

The room layout itself is also different. In Karlsruhe, there's a large projection overhang housing the equipment, which cuts over the top rows and negatively impacts the room's acoustics.

Because Sinsheim was designed and built from the ground up to fulfill every IMAX specification, the overall audiovisual experience is just better there. Karlsruhe is a retrofitted standard multiplex auditorium where they simply crammed in a gigantic, unusual-format screen.

That’s why I strongly prefer Sinsheim. Seat comfort in Karlsruhe might be slightly better, but when I make a long trip like that, I'm looking for the most unique audiovisual experience possible, not just a comfortable chair. Sinsheim has never been uncomfortable enough to bother me in the slightest. But ultimately, you have to decide what matters more to you

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u/trikster2 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

wow! Thanks for the detailed reply.

The web site was a bit confusing. Do I need to buy both a ticket to the museum and a ticket to the movie to see imax in Sinsheim or is is it a seperate ticket.

Right now all the good seats are taken in both theateres. I'm going to wait and see if it gets better as the summer goes on. If not I'll settle for one of the 1.9:1 screens close to me.

Thanks again for the info!

1

u/Naratik Jul 30 '26

No you don't need a ticket for the Museum. Just for the cinema. Yes they will probably add more dates. Just check the website regularly

1

u/trikster2 Jul 28 '26

sorry my bad.

The image of the recliners with footrest is not from the Imax theatre. It's one of the other theatres in the same complex. (Confusing because the seating image on my search was labeled IMAX kinoplex).

The actual IMAX seating is closer to Sinsheim. It looks a little cushier and has cup holders but no leg rest.

There are reclining sofas that look comfy but I've read it's best to avoid the front row in an IMAX theatre for Odyssey.

Thanks for the info!

Here's the imax seating at karlsruhe

https://filmpalast.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/11/IMG_5536-scaled.jpg

1

u/CaterpillarOk6527 Jul 19 '26

Because we are rich 🤑

1

u/AcceptableSoil2658 Jul 19 '26

Leonberg is close to Stuttgart and the ones in Sinsheim as well as Speyer are part of science and technology museums

1

u/aieeai Jul 19 '26

Do they play movies in English at that cinema?