IMAX film is extremely large and heavy, so if it were pulled in a straight line, its own weight would create enormous tension and tear it apart. The rollers distribute this tension evenly and isolate different sections of the film so sudden movements in one part do not affect another. At the same time, the film must move very quickly overall but stop momentarily at the projection gate for each frame to be exposed. The loops and extra lengths of film act as buffers, allowing the projector to start and stop the film 24 times per second without ripping or jerking it. Heat is another critical issue: the projection lamp is powerful enough to burn the film if it remains still for too long, so the controlled motion, spacing, and airflow created by the extended film path help dissipate heat and protect the film surface. Finally, all of this complexity reduces vibration and keeps each frame perfectly flat and stable, which is essential when projecting onto a giant screen where even tiny shakes would be obvious. This over-engineered design, developed by IMAX, is what allows massive, high-resolution film to be projected smoothly, safely, and with exceptional image clarity."

A single IMAX film can be 10–15 miles long and weigh 600–700 pounds. For example, Oppenheimer was printed on roughly 11 miles of film and weighed about 639 pounds.