Super! Disney+ to stream 13 Marvel films in IMAX

Starting Friday, 13 Marvel Studios movies — ranging from "Iron Man" (2008) to this year's "Black Widow" and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" — will be available to stream in the new IMAX Enhanced aspect ratio on Disney+.

The new IMAX Enhanced technology, accessible to streaming subscribers without requiring additional equipment, offers a 1.90:1 aspect ratio for select sequences shot in the big-screen IMAX format. According to IMAX Corp., this provides "up to 26% more picture." A company representative clarified this was as compared with movies' 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio, one of two common widescreen sizes along with 1.85:1, the latter of which is close to television's 16:9.

The other Marvel movies to be streamed in the new format are "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014), "Captain America: Civil War" (2016), "Doctor Strange" (2016), "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017), "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017), "Black Panther" (2018), "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018), "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018), "Captain Marvel" (2019) and "Avengers: Endgame" (2019).

The IMAX Enhanced website lists additional titles from different studios, which are available so far only in non-U.S. markets except for owners of Sony Bravia Core television sets who view those titles through video-on-demand. "The Disney+ announcement represents the first major streaming service, specifically subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD), that will leverage IMAX Enhanced," the representative told Newsday.

Filmmaker Anthony Russo, who with his brother Joe Russo has co-directed Marvel films including "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) and "Avengers: Endgame" (2019), said in a minute-long social-media video that the duo "filmed all four of the movies we made for the Marvel Cinematic Universe specifically for the IMAX experience." Anthony Russo added, "We'd like to congratulate and thank IMAX, Disney and Marvel for giving all of us fans new ways to enjoy and explore these movies."

IMAX chief executive Rich Gelfond, a Plainview native, said in a statement, "IMAX, Disney, and Marvel Studios are giving the fans what they want: the most immersive viewing experience throughout the life of a Marvel Studios film, from exclusive theatrical release to the library at-home where they can now watch the Avengers assemble with more picture than ever before."