Christopher Nolan's Odyssey Draws Global Audiences to Rare Imax 70mm Cinemas

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, the first feature film shot entirely on Imax film cameras, has prompted audiences to undertake international journeys to access one of only 41 cinemas globally equipped to project the 70mm format. The scarcity has created unprecedented demand, with filmgoers from Turkey, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany and the United States converging on select venues, particularly Imax Melbourne, which holds the only 70mm reel in the southern hemisphere.

The Rarity of Imax 70mm Technology

Imax 70mm film projection represents the highest-resolution format in cinema, named for its 70-millimetre film stock width and the 15 perforations on each frame. However, the technology has become functionally obsolete. No new Imax film projectors have been manufactured in approximately 50 years, according to Imax CEO Richard Gelfond. The industry's shift toward digital projection in the late 2000s accelerated the decline, as theaters replaced film equipment with cheaper, easier-to-maintain digital systems. Today, the company retrofits and rebuilds existing projectors, but original design files lack complete documentation, and many replacement parts no longer exist. The loss extends beyond manufacturing—institutional knowledge among engineers has largely disappeared as the workforce shifted away from film technology.

Production Innovation and Logistical Challenges

Nolan's commitment to shooting The Odyssey entirely on Imax 70mm cameras required unprecedented technical innovation. The cameras themselves are notoriously heavy, loud and require frequent reloading—film stock needed replacement every three minutes during production. To capture dialogue on the format for the first time, Nolan worked with Imax engineers to develop a soundproofing chamber, or "blimp," to house the 180-kilogram cameras. The final film reel spans more than 17 kilometres and weighs 240 kilograms, representing what Imax Melbourne's technical manager Dan Drobik describes as "a precious commodity."

Global Pilgrimage to Limited Venues

The theatrical scarcity has transformed cinema attendance into a travel event. Audiences are building holidays around specific screenings and, in some cases, delaying major life events to experience the film in its intended format. Imax Melbourne, which operates the largest 1.43:1 cinema screen at 32 metres wide by 23 metres high, has emerged as a pilgrimage destination for international audiences. Of the 41 cinemas worldwide equipped for 70mm projection, only seven exist outside North America, intensifying competition for limited screening slots. Several U.S. venues report selling out their 70mm engagements five weeks in advance.

Imax leadership has acknowledged that expansion of 70mm capacity faces insurmountable technical barriers. While demand clearly exceeds supply, the absence of modern manufacturing infrastructure and institutional knowledge makes scaling the format economically impractical. The company has indicated that retrofitting existing projectors represents the primary strategy moving forward, suggesting that 41 theatres may represent the ceiling for global 70mm distribution.