‘Black Panther III’ Will Hit IMAX Screens, Including Rare Giant-Format Film Theaters as Release Date is Confirmed

Ryan Coogler has never been shy about chasing the biggest image possible. His horror hit ‘Sinners’ was shot on two large-format film systems, Ultra Panavision 70 and IMAX 15-perf, and it became the first movie to combine both. The film also earned him the Oscar for best original screenplay.

In IMAX theaters with the tall 1.43:1 screen, select action sequences expanded to fill the whole frame, adding up to 28 minutes of the film. It later returned to IMAX 70MM and IMAX theaters for a limited run timed to Halloween weekend.

That passion for film is now heading straight into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Coogler returns to direct ‘Black Panther III’, the final chapter of the trilogy he began with Chadwick Boseman in 2018. Marvel announced the project at San Diego Comic-Con, where it also confirmed the film’s release date and its new hero. Kevin Feige and Coogler revealed the news together during the studio’s Hall H panel.

Marvel’s official announcement said the film will play exclusively in theaters.

The latest news is about how audiences will see the film. ‘Black Panther III’ is set to be released in IMAX and IMAX 70MM, and it opens in theaters on December 15, 2028.

The plan fits what Coogler said at Comic-Con, when he revealed the film would be shot on 70mm film and for premium large formats such as IMAX and Dolby. Gizmodo reported that the announcement came with what appeared to be a piece of 70mm IMAX film. According to a transcript of IMAX’s latest earnings call, the company said Coogler plans to shoot on film and will tailor the movie to the IMAX experience.

Marvel movies have been shot on digital cameras for well over a decade. Even ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, the first Hollywood feature shot entirely with IMAX cameras, used digital units rather than film. Forbes reported that shooting on large-format celluloid is a first for the studio since its founding in 2008. Reports differ on whether the film will be shot entirely or only partly on film, so the exact share of footage is still unclear.

IMAX is also preparing for the demand. The same earnings call transcript says the company is working to add 10 to 15 new IMAX 70MM film locations. Cinemark and IMAX also signed an expanded partnership in late 2025 to bring more IMAX 70MM film systems to locations across the country.

Coogler’s story picks up with the son of T’Challa, the character who was introduced at the end of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. David Jonsson, known for ‘Alien: Romulus’ and ‘The Long Walk’, will play the grown-up hero. Coogler told the Hall H crowd that the boy introduced in the last film grows up and comes of age in this one.

Letitia Wright returns as Shuri, and Winston Duke is back as M’Baku. Denzel Washington has also been confirmed for the cast, although his role has not been revealed. He previously said Coogler was writing a part for him specifically.

‘Black Panther III’ lands after 2 major team-ups, with ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ arriving on December 18, 2026 and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ following on December 17, 2027. The film also closes out a 2028 slate that includes ‘X-Men’ on May 5 and ‘Ghost Rider’ on July 28.

Disney has traditionally used the December slot for major franchises, including ‘Avatar’, ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Avengers’. Disney has also told Marvel to scale back its output in favor of quality over quantity.

The format is also drawing wider attention. Variety noted that an IMAX source called Coogler an amazing partner after ‘Sinners’, and suggested that the format’s recent success could spark interest from other filmmakers who want to shoot on IMAX film. Coogler worked on ‘Sinners’ with cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, though Variety says it is not yet confirmed that she will shoot ‘Black Panther III’. Wright and Duke joined Jonsson and Coogler on stage during the Hall H panel.

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