James Cameron and Scope ratio

[THX 973]

It just doesn't make sense to me, when we have TVs that (to the best that they reasonably can) are meant to replicate the theatrical viewing experience as much as possible, for the filmmakers not to meet that "half way" and try to make movies that fit the screen properly. Why "doom" a film to still be watched in a manner that doesn't fill up the screen and results in black bars?

2.39:1 allows for more flexibility in the composing and framing of images. The wide frame conveys a greater sense of space and broad scope than can be achieved with a narrower ratio. Wes Anderson and P.T. Anderson, in particular, are adept at using the wide frame to tell their stories with a strong visual aesthetic.

Despite the fact that theatrical windows have shortened and films live on in home media, these artists should not be asked to compromise their unique visual styles in order to conform to a ratio that will fill a television screen because the images they've produced don't use all the "real estate" of a 16:9 screen.

I prefer the 2.39:1 ratio and would hate for the standard of modern cinematography to switch to 16:9, because I would miss out on imagery like this: