What is the best cinema format for “Joker: Folie À Deux”?

Description of the year 2019 joker As a “breath of fresh air” it seems kind of wrong given how disturbing it seems, but in a world where superhero movies are slowly merging into one another, director Todd Phillips' interpretation of the Crown Prince of Crime's origin story was very different.

This weekend the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux comes to theaters with Joaquin Phoenix reprising his role as Joker, this time accompanied by Lady Gaga as Harlequin. The decision to make the film primarily a musical was certainly made to ensure it offered something different, and from early reviews it's a decidedly controversial decision – time will tell show whether it is the right one.

If you plan to go to the cinema to watch the film, what is the best format to watch it?

With music playing such an important role, it would make sense to look for something better than a regular screen with traditional surround sound, and Dolby Atmos gives you that extra bit of drama. You'll find this in premium large format screens like Superscreen in the UK and Regal RPX, Cinemark XD and AMC Prime in the US.

An even better choice would be a dedicated Dolby Cinema screen, which not only offers Dolby Atmos but also the best picture thanks to the wider color gamut, deepest black levels and widest dynamic range available.

You will also find Joker: Folie à Deux available in ScreenX and 4DX. The former offers more picture on the sides of the screen and the latter offers a mix of water, wind, scent and strobe lights in a movable seat. I'm a fan of 4DX with the right film, but the sound is just decent, so I wouldn't decide for it Joker: Folie à Deux as my first choice.

The ultimate format for Joker: Folie à Deuxbut must be IMAX. Filmed with Alexa 65 and Alexa Mini LF digital cameras, the film will be shown on most IMAX screens in the expanded 1.90:1 aspect ratio; larger than the standard 2.20:1 ratio used on non-IMAX screens. If your nearest IMAX theater has upgraded to a laser projector, you'll get an even better experience with a bright 4K image with better contrast. IMAX speakers provide dynamically rich and powerful sound, exactly what you're looking for in a film like Joker 2. Many IMAX laser systems also have a 12-channel sound system with even better sound, so grab one of those if you can.

However, the ultimate version of the film is in IMAX 1.43:1, with 54 minutes of the 2 hour, 19 minute running time in this expanded format. This means you'll see even more images at the top and bottom of the screen than with the 1.90:1 version – increasing the impact of what you're seeing.

To see it in this version, you'll need an IMAX theater equipped with a screen with a full-screen 1.43:1 aspect ratio and either an IMAX Dual Laser or IMAX 70mm projector. Worldwide there are 26 of the former and only 11 of the latter – see the links on the IMAX website for details. If you're lucky enough to get to one of these films, I'd make the effort, because even if the musical film turns out not to be to your taste, you'll at least praise the presentation.