Nolans Odyssey reveals lost art of IMAX 70mm projection
A Discovery Made While Searching for Something Else
When Christopher
Nolan began scouting locations for his adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey,” he was not primarily looking for the perfect theater. He was searching for the ideal way to capture the ancient Greek epic on film. What he found, however, was that the technology needed to show the movie as he intended had nearly vanished from American cinemas.
IMAX 70mm film captures an image roughly 10 times larger than standard 35mm film, allowing for exceptional detail and clarity on large screens. Nolan has used IMAX cameras since ‘The Dark Knight,’ but for ‘The Odyssey,’ he pushed the format further than ever before, resulting in a film that demands a specific projection system to be seen at its full potential.
The director has been using IMAX cameras since “The Dark Knight,” which opened with a shot on IMAX. For “The Odyssey,” he pushed the format further than ever before. The result is a film that demands a specific kind of projection to be seen at its full potential.
Only 25 theaters in the United States have the equipment needed to show the movie as Nolan intended. These screenings sold out within minutes after tickets went on sale a year before release, with some moviegoers flying to Melbourne, Australia, to see it at the southern hemisphere’s only IMAX 70mm theater.
The Scarcity of IMAX 70mm Projectors
The format is known for its exceptional image detail, scale, and clarity.
Most theaters replaced their film projectors with digital ones years ago. The parts needed to build new IMAX film projectors ‘simply no longer exist,’ an IMAX source told Variety. IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond told Variety, ‘We’re sold out in some theaters into the fifth week already. There’s certainly more demand, the problem is, they haven’t made new IMAX film projectors in about 50 years.”
Some moviegoers are even flying to Melbourne, Australia, to watch “The Odyssey.” That city is home to the southern hemisphere’s only IMAX 70mm theater. The theater’s general manager, Jeremy Fee, told the Guardian, “We have people who built their holidays around their Odyssey screening, which is pretty incredible.”
Many movie fans consider IMAX 70mm the gold standard for film projection.
The Immersive Experience of IMAX 70mm
The difference between IMAX 70mm and standard digital projection lies in the amount of the picture visible on screen. IMAX 70mm shows more of each shot, making scenes feel larger and more immersive.
Speaking in 2023, before the release of “Oppenheimer,” Nolan told the Associated Press that IMAX 70mm is the ideal theater experience. He said, “The sharpness and the clarity and the depth of the image is unparalleled.” He added, “The headline, for me, is: By shooting on IMAX 70mm film, you’re really letting the screen disappear. You’re getting a feeling of 3D without the glasses. You’ve got a huge screen, and you’re filling the peripheral vision of the audience. You’re immersing them in the world of the film.”
The 25 U.S. theaters capable of showing “The Odyssey” in IMAX 70mm are spread across 16 states. They include locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas. For New Jersey moviegoers, the two closest IMAX 70mm locations are AMC Lincoln Square in New York City and Regal UA King of Prussia in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
No new IMAX film projectors have been built in about 50 years, meaning the number of theaters capable of showing films in IMAX 70mm will likely continue to shrink.
Sources
1. Variety
2. The Guardian