Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Has Hundreds Of Versions For Different Theater Configurations

There are many moviegoers who will be heading to see "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" in the coming weeks. Depending on where viewers are watching the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they will be treated to one of roughly 600 versions of the film. Don't worry though, the final product will more or less be the same, as this mostly concerns the aspect ratio that will be displayed at various cinemas around the world.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney and director James Gunn worked to create hundreds of different versions of the finale to his "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy (read our review here) to suit the many aspect ratios and technical specifications available in various theater configurations. "It's definitely the most complex delivery Marvel's ever done," said Evan Jacobs, Disney's VP of finishing and stereo. The goal, he says, was to "give every exhibitor in the United States and in most international territories [the ability to] maximize their screen size for the audience. So wherever you go to see it, you're gonna see the best version." 

Per Jacobs, Gunn took full advantage of being able to cater these various versions of the film to each theater's needs:

"Then on top of that, because [Gunn's] got this extra real estate, he's essentially said, 'I'm gonna pop in and out creatively [and you'll] suddenly see something more immersive and bigger, that's going to fill your screen.'"

While this all may sound a bit crazy, it's actually not too far from the norm for a huge blockbuster such as this. For example, most Marvel movies end up with around 500 variations to suit the needs of most theaters. The record, however, belongs to "Avatar: The Way of Water," which was delivered in over 1,000 versions. More than anything, it demonstrates just how different the experience can be from one theater to another.

Some examples of the variations for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" include one that features around 45 minutes of the movie in a 1.85 aspect ratio, with the rest of the movie "letterboxed" to 2.39, which will be available in certain "traditional" theaters and some Dolby Cinema auditoriums. There's also one that only uses the 2.39 aspect ratio, and an IMAX 1.90 version. There's also a 3D format that will take advantage of the unique format. Luckily, as Jacobs explains, getting this all done in time wasn't as hectic as it could have been because Gunn ran a tight ship.

"Marvel has almost become legendary in the postproduction community for pushing pretty hard on deadlines and kind of waiting till the last minute to make the movie as great as we could possibly make it. [But] the movie was pretty solid. It was the movie he was gonna make at the beginning... We didn't have to chase a lot of crazy, and the visual effects landed in a rational, sane way. We've all been just like pinching ourselves. It would've been harder, frankly, to accommodate this kind of creative vision on a different delivery schedule. But we had the time and we were able to make it work."

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023.