Disney+ is bringing another facet of the Imax theater experience to the living room: The streamer plans to add support for enhanced Imax signature sound by DTS for a select batch of Marvel movies and other titles in 2023.
Disney Streaming, in partnership with Imax and Xperi’s DTS audio-tech subsidiary, announced that Imax Enhanced titles on Disney+ will be available with Imax signature sound by DTS on supported hardware devices sometime this year. According to the companies, the new feature is “specially calibrated” to provide immersive sound reproduction on home-theater systems — ensuring that “filmmakers’ creative intent is fully optimized for an Imax-quality presentation.”
It’s the second phase of Disney+’s partnership with Imax. In November 2021, the streaming service launched 13 Marvel movies in Imax’s expanded 1.90:1 aspect ratio to deliver up to 26% more on-screen picture for select sequences.
All Imax Enhanced titles on Disney+ will be available with Imax signature sound by DTS this year, with the exact date yet to be determined. The current list of Disney+’s Imax Enhanced titles includes: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (streaming Feb. 1) and “Black Panther,” “Thor: Love & Thunder,” “Doctor Strange” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Black Widow,” “Eternals,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Iron Man,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “Captain Marvel” and “Avengers: Endgame,” as well as Pixar’s “Lightyear.”
At launch, devices that will support Imax signature sound by DTS on Disney+ include Imax Enhanced-certified TVs from Sony and Hisense and certified AV receivers from Denon, Marantz and JBL.
“This unique collaboration extends our long-standing relationship between Disney and Imax, and we look forward to delivering this new immersive audio experience alongside premium playback quality for current and future titles to our audiences around the world,” said Jerrell Jimerson, Disney Streaming’s EVP of product.
Disney+ is the first major streaming service to adopt the Imax Enhanced formats. The consumer response to the launch of Imax Enhanced titles on Disney+ “has been overwhelmingly positive, giving viewers what they have been asking for — stunning images at home as intended by the incredible teams behind some of the world’s most popular films,” added Xperi chief content officer Bill Neighbors. “Now, fans will be able to get the full experience of Imax Enhanced with the addition of Imax Enhanced signature sound by DTS, exclusively for those titles.”
Imax and Marvel Studios first collaborated in 2010, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone on to become the highest-grossing franchise in Imax history. The companies noted that “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” were the first films shot entirely with Imax digital cameras.
Pictured above: Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
