Odyssey fans demand IMAX 70mm screenings they won’t get

The experience of watching The Odyssey as Christopher Nolan intended—on the grand scale of IMAX 70mm film—is for many fans an unfulfilled dream. While the film itself has captivated audiences, realizing its full cinematic potential is complicated by a significant technological hurdle: not all theaters are equipped to display it in its original format.

The high-definition spectacle demands a specialized presentation, but only a limited number of cinemas across the United States possess the necessary equipment to show the movie in true IMAX 70mm. Despite this limitation, the demand from viewers, including major stars like Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway, has been vocal, pushing for more opportunities to experience the film in its intended grandeur.

The challenge facing exhibition houses and technology developers is substantial. When asked about expanding the availability of these specialized screenings, IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond acknowledged that the solution is far from simple. He explained that while demand is clearly high, the infrastructure required for this format has not been updated in about fifty years.

“We’re sold out in some theaters into the fifth week already. There’s certainly more demand,” Gelfond noted. “The problem is they haven’t made new IMAX film projectors in about 50 years.”

To accommodate this specialized viewing, simply installing screens is not enough. The core technology needed to project the film in 70mm requires entirely new equipment that essentially does not exist anymore. As Gelfond further elaborated, “We build new projectors every day, but film projectors using this film — it’s just not practical.”

This technological constraint runs deeper than just projector availability. Expanding IMAX 70mm exhibition is complicated by the fact that many existing auditoriums are simply not designed with the necessary infrastructure to properly accommodate such massive screens and the required specialized viewing space. Building this updated infrastructure is inherently expensive, adding another layer of difficulty to growth efforts.

Ultimately, while fans continue to call for more opportunities to witness cinematic masterpieces like The Odyssey in their purest form, the path forward involves not only technological innovation but also major investment in adapting cinema architecture. The demand for an immersive experience is undeniable, setting the stage for a future where spectacle meets practical engineering.