'Star Wars 7' and 'Winter Solider' coming to IMAX

Disney is betting big on IMAX, announcing a string of upcoming releases that will play in the giant-screen format, according to reports.

“Star Wars: Episode VII" and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” are on the list, but so are the Angelina Jolie fantasy “Maleficent," the superhero compendium “Guardians of the Galaxy” the sequel ”Avengers: Age of Ultron” and Brad Bird's “Tomorrowland," starring George Clooney.

Higher ticket prices for IMAX and 3-D films helped make 2013 a banner year for the movie industry. The number of tickets sold last year, about 1.36 billion, is well below the 2002 record of 1.57 billion, yet box-office revenue now stands at $10.9 billion, up a tad from the previous year. The average ticket price in the last quarter of 2013 was $8.35, a 3.7% increase over the same period during the previous year, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners.