Abheet Gupta 
For true cinephiles, IMAX remains the gold standard of theatrical moviegoing. With its towering screens, crisp 4K or 70mm visuals, and booming 12-channel surround sound, IMAX offers a fully immersive experience that few formats can rival. While early champions of the format like Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, and Denis Villeneuve continue to lead the charge, more and more filmmakers have started experimenting with this grand format, delivering visually and sonically rich spectacles tailor-made for the big screen.
Here’s a countdown of the Top 10 Best IMAX Movie Experiences from 2020 to June 2025. If you missed these on IMAX, do yourself a favor and catch them whenever they re-release. Trust us—you haven’t really seen these films unless you’ve seen them in IMAX.
Honorable Mention – Godzilla Minus One (2023) & The MonsterVerse
Kaiju cinema may often lack deep storytelling, but in terms of sheer scale and audiovisual power, these films offer a stunning IMAX experience. Godzilla Minus One uniquely explores the post-war trauma of Japan through monster mayhem, while MonsterVerse films like Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire are built for the deafening roar, visually dazzling lore, and grandeur that IMAX thrives on.
10. Sinners (2025)
The defining IMAX experience of 2025 so far, Sinners delivers a jaw-dropping first half with audiovisual richness, sweeping cinematography, and an electrifying score that soars in the IMAX format. It’s a film that invites you to surrender to the senses.
9. Nope (2022)
Jordan Peele pushed boundaries with custom-built IMAX cameras, crafting an eerie, cosmic horror-western hybrid. The aerial shots, wide desert landscapes, and the UFO sequences all gain an otherworldly dimension on IMAX screens. It’s unsettling, bold, and unforgettable.
8. The Batman (2022)
Matt Reeves’ gothic noir take on the Dark Knight was elevated by Greig Fraser’s moody cinematography and Michael Giacchino’s booming score. Gotham never looked or sounded better, and the Batmobile chase sequence was quite literally made for the format.
7. Gladiator II (2024)
While not without criticism of its inaccuracies and not-so-fresh plot, Gladiator II is a visual feast. Ridley Scott proves he still has the touch for epic grandeur, with colossal set-pieces, atmospheric lighting, and grandiose sound design. IMAX brings the glorious and awe-inspiring ancient Rome to brutal, visceral life.
6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
No animated film has ever felt this visually experimental and bold. With shifting art styles, multiverse chaos, and a banging soundtrack by Metro Boomin and Daniel Pemberton, this was one of the most unique IMAX experiences of all time.
5. The Brutalist (2024)
One of the most visually mesmerizing films of the decade, The Brutalist was shot on 70mm VistaVision, yet it felt tailor-made for IMAX. Each frame is a painting, and its ethereal score elevates the viewing into an almost spiritual experience. No IMAX camera used—yet still one of the most cinematic IMAX experiences imaginable.
4. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Joseph Kosenski’s Top Gun: Maverick is probably is the best overall theatrical experience of the decade. One could see it in any format from Imax and 4DX to ScreenX and ICE, and they’ll still walk out electrified and satisfied. Yet, the defentive way to experience TGM remains IMAX. With real F-18 cockpit footage and practical aerial dogfights, this film made your heart race and seats shake. You didn’t watch Maverick—you flew with him.
3. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Obviously the top 3 on this list feature the three auteurs of immersive cinema. We begin with Cameron’s Avatar 2 which is probably the most well shot underwater films in the history of cinema, matched only by Cameron himself in The Abyss and Titanic. The underwater sequences in The Way of Water are breathtaking in IMAX, and the 3D-enhanced clarity of the format creates an experience so absorbing you feel like you’re in Pandora. With reports of Cameron currently further elevating the IMAX and filming techniques, we can only imagine what level of audio-visual immersion the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to offer later this year.
2. Oppenheimer (2023) & Tenet (2020)
Everyone knew Nolan films would be on this list and frankly there is not much explanation needed for this. He continues to redefine what’s possible, from his never ending experimentation and innovation with IMAX to his sheer audacity of making an R rated science biopic film, one of the best theatrical experiences of the century. I mean who ever thought “this” subject matter can also be “that” theatre worthy? Tenet’s chaotic inverted action sequences and Oppenheimer’s towering drama both made full use of IMAX cameras, 70mm film, and analog sound design. Few filmmakers craft such high-concept, high-format cinema, and it shows.
1. Dune (2021) & Dune: Part Two (2024)
Dune is the ultimate IMAX saga of the 2020s. This series is to 2020’s what Lord of the Rings was in the 2000’s. These films are hands down the definitive IMAX experiences where every shot is either meant to dazzle you or to take you on a eardrum bursting exhilirating ride of a lifetime. Denis Villeneuve’s films demand a giant screen with operatic visuals, soul-shaking sound, and slow-burn storytelling that envelops the senses. From the thundering sandworms to Hans Zimmer’s alien soundtrack, these films redefine the word “epic”.
Final Words
Whether it’s the visual artistry of The Brutalist, the sonic assault of Top Gun: Maverick, or the sweeping scale of Dune, these films show us that IMAX isn’t just a format—it’s a cinematic state of mind. Again, if you missed any of these titles in IMAX, be on the lookout for re-releases. Because once you’ve experienced these films on IMAX, everything else feels just a little smaller.
Check out the list of best IMAX theatres in Delhi NCR here.
If you have any questions or need more recommendations for IMAX worthy Movies, feel free to ask in the comments below. For more content, stay tuned. As usual, like, subscribe and share our articles as we here are trying to build a community of people High on Cinema!
