As moviegoing experiences tend to go, few can hold a candle to the not-so-humble IMAX screen. IMAX Melbourne is impressive even by supersized standards, boasting IMAX Laser, Australia’s only IMAX 1570 Film Projector and the largest 1.43:1 cinema screen in the world, measuring at 32 metres tall and 23 metres wide. All that makes it the perfect choice to host the Big Best IMAX Film Festival, which has set a January 31 opening date for its 2026 return.
The festival puts the biggest and best of Hollywood, both new and old, front and centre on the IMAX screen, with reruns of recent releases and remastered classics alike for eager theatre attendees — presented in Australia’s only IMAX 70mm film prints and IMAX 4k Laser.
This year, the program is led by Christopher Nolan classics like “The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Interstellar” and “Oppenheimer.” They’re joined by award season frontrunners from 2025, including Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” — and blockbusters like “F1: The Movie” and Denis Villeneuve’s award-winning “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two” ahead of the release of “Dune: Messiah” later this year.
Other entries to the program include a “Blade Runner” and “Blade Runner 2049” double feature, George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” in 3D and Francis Ford Coppola’s divisive “Megalopolis.” Several classic films will get the remastered IMAX treatment, including “The Matrix,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Se7en,” “Back to the Future,” “The Shining”, “Princess Mononoke” and more.
The Christopher Nolan entries are a special standout, as Nolan is known to create films with IMAX theatres in mind. His last release, “Oppenheimer,” has a film reel that’s 18km long and weighs over 270kg, seeing it in IMAX 1570 is an extremely rare treat. His upcoming release, “The Odyssey,” will be the first film in history to be entirely filmed on IMAX cameras, the film reel is supposedly even longer than “Oppenheimer,” and IMAX Melbourne will be the only theatre in the southern hemisphere to screen the film on IMAX 70mm when it releases in July.
Tickets to BBIFF 2026 go on sale from Wednesday, January 14 at 1pm for IMAX Big League members and 3pm for the general public. Visit the IMAX Melbourne website for more information.