Framing-wise nothing gives me more pleasure than extra headroom and legroom. So it’s pleasing to know that the IMAX version of Skyfall (opening a day before the 11.9 general release version) will offer 26% more information than the 2.39 to 1 image that I saw two nights ago at the Grove, and which will be shown in non-IMAX theatres nationwide. It looks like something between 1.37 and 1.66.

2.39 to 1 general-release framing.

4 x 3 IMAX framing.

Skyfall opens in several overseas territories on Friday, 10.26, and in several more countries a week later. United States ticket-buyers won’t be the last to see it, but they’re almost at the end of the line.

“We shot 2.35 but because of the size of the chip, you’ve got so much space top and bottom that basically I shot it for both formats,” Roger Deakins recently told Bill Desowitz. “There are one or two shots where I had to put a dolly track in or maybe there’s a boom in shot. But the IMAX was clean and the image quality is fantastic because you’re using the full size of the chip. So I had seen a lot of tests and was blown away by the IMAX. We did a 4K finish and it’s down rez’d to 2K after that. It quite surprised me, the fantastic quality.”