- Imax CEO Richard Gelfond told BI "Joker: Folie à Deux" will be shown in Imax 70mm.
- The "Joker" sequel joins recent hits like "Oppenheimer" and "Dune: Part Two" as titles receiving this unique release.
Director Todd Phillips' anticipated "Joker: Folie à Deux," the sequel to his hit 2019 movie "Joker," will get the theatrical release treatment previously given to the likes of Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve.
"Joker: Folie à Deux" will be shown in Imax 70mm, the company's CEO Richard Gelfond told Business Insider on Tuesday at CinemaCon hours before Warner Bros. world premiered the movie's trailer at the annual movie-theater convention in Las Vegas.
"Yes, we are going to present it in Imax 70mm," Gelfond told BI.
Showing a movie in this pristine large format has become a confirmation of sorts that a director has achieved auteur status.
For the release of "Oppenheimer" last summer, Nolan made it clear while promoting it that seeing the movie in Imax 70mm was the way he intended people to experience his Oscar-winning epic.
Villeneuve continued the trend last month with the release of "Dune: Part 2."
Both titles became not just critical darlings due to filmmakers' visions but huge moneymakers, with "Oppenheimer" taking in close to $1 billion at the worldwide box office and "Dune: Part 2" nearing $700 million worldwide to date.
There's also the exclusivity that comes with an Imax 70mm release, as only 30 theaters in the world are capable of showing a movie in that format.
In "Joker: Folie à Deux," which was shot with Imax-certified cameras, Joaquin Phoenix returns to play the role of Arthur Fleck, aka Joker. Lady Gaga joins the franchise as Joker's love interest, Harley Quinn.
2019's "Joker" was a huge success, earning over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. It is also the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever at the worldwide box office. The movie also received 11 Oscar nominations with wins for Best Actor (Phoenix) and Best Original Score.
"Joker: Folie à Deux" opens in theaters on October 4.