IMAX is not a gimmick. If you go to a real IMAX theater, then the screen is huge, and the projection is on 70mm trays. If you're seeing a film shot in IMAX, then the picture is significantly greater than the picture of 35mm film.

Also, even at LIeMAX, the sound is outstanding. I don't know about elsewhere, but the sound at my local theater is shit. IMAX is surround sound, and it's loud, like a movie theater should be.

Plus the seats are nice and comfy and the person in front of you is never in the way of the screen.

I treat IMAX going as something special. A couple times a year, because the closest one to me is about 45 minutes. But the experiences I have there are always outstanding.