1970 — "Tiger Knight," the first IMAX film, premieres at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. Audiences are in moving seats.

1971 — Cinesphere, the first permanent IMAX theater, opens at Ontario Place, an amusement park in Toronto.

1973 — The first permanent IMAX theater in the United States opens at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego, Calif.

1976 — "To Fly!" premieres at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, where it continues to play to this day. It will be the top-grossing large-format film until being overtaken by "Everest."

View Comments

1983 — The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History's Omni Theater opens. The domed screen is 80 feet tall.

1998 — "Everest," featuring mountain climber Beck Weathers, opens. It becomes the first IMAX film to make it into the box-office top 10.

2000 — Disney's "Fantasia 2000" opens.

2003 — Disney releases James Cameron's 3-D film "Ghosts of the Abyss" in both 70mm and 35mm formats.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.