Marvel’s IMAX movie marathon is Disney’s jab at Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter return

Marvel is showing all of its MCU movies in IMAX starting Aug. 30, but it seems a bit odd that it’s happening at the same time as the Harry Potter marathon.

The long-lasting rivalry between Disney and Warner Bros. seems to be continuing well through this year.  On Friday, the cast and crew of the MCU movies announced all 20 of the MCU’s movies will be shown in IMAX theaters later this month.

The re-release is meant to be part of the on-going celebration for Marvel Studio’s 10th anniversary. This means even movies from Phase One that never got an IMAX release will be formatted for the large-scale movie viewing experience, including the first Iron Man movie, The Incredible Hulk, and Captain America: The First Avenger. 

The IMAX clip innocently enough gives you a good idea of what hides behind those black bars when you’re watching a Marvel movie in its regular format: settings get cut off, characters get clipped, and that sometimes detracts from all the hard work that went into making the movies look visually stunning. It’s a match made in heaven for dedicated moviegoers who need a bit of “umph” when they’re watching a film. But it seems like there’s something more to this promotion than meets the eye.

Call it a hunch, but this seems to be Disney’s well-timed answer to Warner Bros., which just announced it’s bringing all Harry Potter movies back to theaters as well. The Marvel marathon runs Aug. 30 to Sept. 6, while the Harry Potter marathon runs Aug. 31 to Sept. 6. Planned or not, these events will give either company leverage over one another as they go head-to-head in the competitive movie market.

Warner Bros. made a lucky pick in choosing the Harry Potter franchise over the real Marvel competitor, the DCEU. WB honestly wouldn’t be able to stand a chance re-playing those movies while every single Marvel Studios movie was out at the same time. It’d be embarrassing. Although, Harry Potter works outside of the superhero genre, and has an uber-dedicated fandom that would love to re-live those movies in theaters. For some, it taps into the nostalgia of their childhood, and it would be an experience they get to enjoy all over again.

For those interested, the schedule for the Marvel IMAX movie marathon goes as follows:

"Aug. 30: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, ThorAug. 31: Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark WorldSept. 1: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-ManSept. 2: Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: HomecomingSept. 3: Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the WaspSept. 4: Iron Man, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther, Doctor StrangeSept. 5: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Captain America: Civil War, The Avengers, Avengers: Infinity WarSept. 6: Two selections TBD by fans"

This will be the ultimate showdown between Disney and Warner Bros. as they attempt to capture audiences during at the dwindling end of the summer blockbuster season. Will Marvel fans assemble like all the character in Infinity War, or will Harry Potter fans apparate into theaters in astounding numbers?