PARIS — Christopher Nolan’s epic film The Odyssey has driven record demand for IMAX screenings while prompting criticism that the movie’s intended viewing format is inaccessible to most audiences.
Nolan became the first director to film an entire feature using specially designed 70mm IMAX cameras, a format that offers the highest available film resolution.
The film’s popularity has led many IMAX theaters to add late-night and midnight screenings, with tickets for 70mm presentations selling out weeks in advance.
However, only 41 theaters worldwide are equipped to project the movie in its native 70mm IMAX format, with more than half located in the United States. India, despite its population of about 1.5 billion, has no 70mm IMAX theater.
Because Nolan optimized the film for large-format IMAX screens, viewers at standard theaters see a cropped version of the image. IMAX said its screens display “substantially more image than standard theatrical presentations.”
The limited availability has fueled criticism online, with some social media users arguing that most audiences cannot experience the film as the director intended. Others have posted parody videos mocking the emphasis on premium viewing formats.
IMAX said audience response to the film has been “extraordinary” and credited The Odyssey with increasing interest in the company’s filmmaking technology. Ahead of the release, the company added 11 new 70mm IMAX theaters capable of projecting the film’s 18-kilometer-long, 270-kilogram print.
IMAX theaters generated a record $52 million in ticket sales during the film’s opening weekend.
Released on July 15, The Odyssey has earned an estimated $320 million worldwide, surpassing its reported $250 million production budget.