By: Dipin Sehdev

There is something almost nostalgic about the idea of “fixing” the movie theater experience. Every few years, the industry tries. A new format. A new badge. A new promise that this time, this time, you’ll get the “ultimate” cinematic experience. Disney’s newly announced Infinity Vision certification is the latest attempt. And while it’s interesting, even admirable in intent, it also raises a more uncomfortable question: Do people still care enough about theaters for this to matter?

 

A New Label in a Crowded Room

Disney’s Infinity Vision is being positioned as a certification for premium large format (PLF) theaters, auditoriums that meet certain technical standards for screen size, projection, and audio.

On paper, it sounds straightforward:

• Larger screens
• Laser projection
• Immersive audio

Disney says it wants to simplify the theater experience. To help audiences identify which screens offer the “biggest, brightest, and most immersive” presentations. It’s not a bad idea. But it’s also not a new one. Because if you’ve been to a theater in the last decade, you already know the problem: There are too many formats.

 

The Real Problem: Confusion

Walk into a multiplex today and you’re confronted with a wall of branding: RPX. XD. Prime. Superscreen. iSense. Epic. And then, above them all, the two formats that actually mean something to most consumers: IMAX and Dolby Cinema. Those two stand apart for a reason. They are clearly defined. They have consistent standards. And, perhaps most importantly, they have built trust. You may not know the exact specs of Dolby Vision projection or IMAX’s aspect ratios, but you know you’re getting something better. Infinity Vision, at least right now, doesn’t have that clarity.

What exactly makes it different?

Is it stricter than RPX?
Better than XD?
Equivalent to Dolby Cinema?

We don’t know. And that’s the problem.

 

The PLF Landscape (and Where Infinity Vision Fits)

To understand where Infinity Vision lands, you have to look at the current premium theater ecosystem:

Format	Chain / Owner	Key Features	Audio	Projection	Availability	Requirements
Regal RPX	Regal	Large screen, upgraded seating	7.1 / Atmos (varies)	Laser/Digital	Widely available	No strict global standard
Cinemark XD	Cinemark	Wall-to-wall screens, high brightness	Custom surround	Digital/Laser	Widely available	Cinemark-defined
AMC Prime	AMC	Recliners, immersive sound	Dolby Atmos	Laser	Limited	AMC-specific standard
Superscreen	Cineworld	Large format, premium seating	Surround / Atmos	Laser	Europe/UK	Chain-specific
iSense	Various (Europe)	Large screens, enhanced sound	Immersive audio	Laser	Europe	Varies
Epic	Cineplex	Premium large format	Dolby Atmos	Laser	Canada	Cineplex standard
IMAX	IMAX Corp	Tall aspect ratio, proprietary projection	IMAX audio	Laser/Dual Laser	Global	Strict certification
Dolby Cinema	Dolby + AMC	Dolby Vision HDR + Atmos	Dolby Atmos	Dual Laser HDR	Limited	Highly standardized
Infinity Vision	Disney	Large screens, laser, immersive audio	TBD	Laser	~75 US / 300 global	Disney-defined certification

That last column is doing a lot of work. Because “Disney-defined certification” is not the same as a globally enforced technical standard. At least not yet.

 

Timing Matters And So Does Context

Infinity Vision will roll out alongside the re-release of Avengers: Endgame in September, followed by Avengers: Doomsday in December. That timing feels… strategic for raising prices.  Particularly given that IMAX screens for that December window are already locked up by Dune: Part Three, a film shot specifically for IMAX. In that context, Infinity Vision begins to look less like a neutral certification and more like a workaround. A way for Disney to create its own “premium” tier when access to other premium formats is limited. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But it does blur the line between standardization and marketing.

 

Meanwhile, Audiences Are Moving On

Here’s the larger issue no one in the theater industry seems eager to confront: People are going to the movies less. Not because they don’t love movies. But because the alternatives have gotten better.

Streaming now offers:

• 4K HDR (Dolby Vision, HDR10+)
• Immersive audio (Dolby Atmos, DTS:X in select cases)
• Improved compression formats like AV1, delivering higher quality at lower bandwidth
• Immediate access, at home, on demand

For many viewers, the trade-offs have shifted. The convenience of streaming, combined with steadily improving quality, has eroded the theater’s advantage. And adding another logo to the theater experience doesn’t necessarily fix that.

 

A Lesson From the Past: THX

There was a time when certification mattered deeply.

THX, introduced by Lucasfilm in the 1980s, set clear, measurable standards for audio and visual quality. It was a guarantee.

Infinity Vision could be that.

But only if it becomes:

• Transparent in its requirements
• Consistent across theaters
• Meaningful in its differences

Without that, it risks becoming just another acronym in an already crowded space.

 

What Disney Might Be Missing

There’s an argument to be made that Disney is solving the wrong problem. Yes, the theater experience could be clearer. Better communicated. More standardized. But the bigger battleground today isn’t the multiplex. It’s the living room. Disney+, like most streaming platforms, still has room to improve:

• Bitrate consistency
• Audio quality across devices
• User interface and discovery
• True “premium” streaming tiers

If Infinity Vision is about delivering the best possible version of a film… Why not bring that same philosophy to streaming? Because that’s where the audience is increasingly watching.

 

The Bottom Line

Infinity Vision is an interesting idea. It acknowledges a real problem: the confusion of premium theater formats and the need for clearer standards. But it arrives at a time when the relevance of theaters themselves is being questioned. And it enters a market already dominated by formats that consumers understand, IMAX and Dolby Cinema. For Infinity Vision to succeed, it needs to do more than exist. It needs to differentiate. Until then, it feels less like a revolution… and more like another label in a room already full of them to charge more at the theater.