You may have noticed from the Justice League trailers that it has a larger aspect ratio than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or most big blockbuster movies. Normally they are shot at 2.39:1, resulting in big black bars on the top and bottom when you watch at home on your 16:9 HD TV. But Justice League was shot with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio that fills up much more of the frame. There will still be black bars when you watch the Blu-ray, but they’ll be so small you may not even notice them. So why the switch?
It all comes down to Zack Snyder’s love for IMAX when shooting Batman v Superman. A native IMAX image has a squarish aspect ratio and uses a lot of the frame. “I had so much fun shooting the IMAX sections of my movie (BvS),” Snyder said to a fan on Vero. “Sort of fell in love with that giant, less rectangular aspect ratio and so that’s why I shot JL 1:85.”
Despite falling in love with IMAX during Batman v Superman, none of Justice League was shot in that format. But the larger aspect ratio certainly makes up for it. For comparison, I’ve added some screenshots from Batman v Superman and Justice League below to give you a better idea of the difference in aspect ratios.
Batman v Superman
Justice League
