'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' has 600 custom versions for different theatre formats

James Gunn has created 600 versions of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for a customized experience in each type of theater configuration.

Gunn took advantage of multiple aspect ratios available in cinemas with the objective of enabling every exhibitor to optimize their screen size for the audience.

For instance, in some "traditional" theaters and Dolby Cinema auditoriums, approximately 45 minutes of the film will be displayed in a flat 1.85 aspect ratio.

James Gunn also created a version that only uses the 2.39 aspect ratio and an IMAX 1.90 version designed specifically for IMAX auditoriums. The tactic takes inspiration from James Cameron and Jon Landau's approach for Avatar: The Way of Water, which had 1,065 versions.

The hundreds of versions make Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Marvel’s most complex delivery.

Evan Jacobs, Disney's VP of finishing and stereo, reports that completing these versions of the movie in the final weeks was tight but manageable thanks to the solid movie that Gunn had made at the outset and the dedication of the postproduction community.

“Aspect ratio is something that James has really enjoyed being part of the storytelling process,” Jacobs told The Hollywood Reporter.

He added that James Gunn created Imax versions with variable aspect ratios for the first two Guardians movies. For Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the director wanted to adopt this practice on a larger scale.

Aspect ratios impact the mood and composition of a film and these changes can be made at the outset or during the editing or post-production of a film.