“The Odyssey” was made for Imax 70mm. Good luck watching it that way

Christopher Nolan Odyssey Imax 70mm is the hottest club in town, if you can get in.

While Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic is available on thousands of screens around the world, there are only 41 screens – including 25 in the US – that can present it in its full Imax 70mm glory. Many of them have been sold out for weeks. The FOMO levels are off the charts.

This is partly due to Odyssey It is the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX film with IMAX cameras. For the uninitiated, the Imax film format takes an already large 65mm film negative and runs it through the camera horizontally, creating an image 15 holes wider than the standard 5. When viewed on a giant IMAX screen, the resulting image, with a square aspect ratio of 1.43:1, is incredibly massive and sharp, creating a much more immersive experience than standard cinema screenings. This is it TRUE IMAX, according to fans of the format, was first introduced in 1970.

However, Imax comes in a variety of flavours: 2K and 4K digital formats, xenon and laser light configurations, as well as the classic 15/70mm model. With the exception of a few digital Imax theaters, most digital Imax theaters crop the picture to a 1.90:1 aspect ratio and display it on screens much smaller than a giant traditional Imax theater.

“It all started in 2008 when IMAX introduced its first digital system,” says James Hyder, who ran the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s Langley IMAX Theater in the 1980s and ran the giant screen industry magazine LF Examiner from 2008 to 2021. IMAX did not respond to requests for comment.

The company’s foray into digital exhibition with a 2K dual-display system was part of a long-planned shift. Executives wanted to expand beyond museums and science centers and into large theater chains, which didn’t always have the screen real estate that a traditional Imax experience required.

However, the result is noticeably different Imax experiences depending on which type of Imax theater you use. Especially since major theater chains have invested in PLF (premium large format) screens that rely on Dolby Vision or other systems, it’s hard to know what you’re getting, or whether Imax is your best bet.

Complicate matters further Odyssey is that it is available in so many distinct formats – six in total – that the film’s official website includes a guide to the various strengths and aspect ratios. Although it demystifies 70mm Imax and “normal” Imax, it doesn’t capture the breadth of what those “normal” experiences can entail.

“It’s a disservice to their customers, and it basically trades off the reputation of the real giant screens that were what IMAX stood for,” Haider says of the lack of clarity and consistency around how IMAX is implemented.

Recent years have seen a resurgence in photography and film projection, with Imax 70mm in particular becoming the gold standard. Nolan’s films regularly get Imax 70mm releases on the few screens that can accommodate them, but only after success Oppenheimera series of releases, incl Sand Dunes: Part Two, Sinners, Battle after battleand Hail Mary projectAnd she followed suit.

while Odyssey Filmed in an aspect ratio of 1.43:1, its images are configured to also work when cropped to other ratios, up to the ultra-wide ratio of 2.39:1. It was deliberately shot to work across digital, 35mm, and regular 5-perf/70mm, all under the director’s supervision and reflecting his intent. Eventually, it will also be available for purchase on Blu-ray or online streaming. It’s no different between seeing a printed or digital image of the Mona Lisa – which is what most people will see in their lifetime – and being lucky enough to see it in person at the Louvre.