‘The Odyssey’ Made for Imax 70mm. The Goodness of Watching That

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

Although Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic is available in thousands of screens worldwide, there are only 41 – including 25 in the US – that can offer Imax 70mm glory. Most of them are sold for several weeks. FOMO levels are off the charts.

This is another reason The Odyssey it is the first film shot entirely in Imax film with Imax cameras. For the uninitiated, the Imax film format takes an already large 65-mm film and runs it through the camera horizontally, resulting in an image of 15 perforations equivalent to 5 perf. When shown on the big screen of Imax, the resulting image, with a squarish aspect ratio of 1.43: 1, is large and surprisingly sharp, creating a deeper experience than in ordinary cinemas. These are reality Imax, according to fans of the brand, which was first introduced in 1970.

Imax, however, comes in different versions: digital format in 2K and 4K resolution, xenon and laser light configurations, above the 15/70-mm standard. Outside of a select few, most digital Imax theaters expand the image to a larger aspect ratio of 1.90:1 and display on a smaller screen than traditional Imax theaters.

“This all started in 2008 when Imax launched its first digital projector,” said James Hyder, who ran the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s Langley Imax theater in the 80s, and ran the industry’s largest magazine LF Examiner from 2008 to 2021. Imax did not respond to a request for comment.

The company’s entry into digital projection with a 2K-resolution dual-projector system was part of a long-planned transition. Managers wanted to add museums and science centers as well as own large theater chains, which did not always have the theaters that the Imax culture required.

As a result, it has become very different from the Imax experience depending on the type of Imax theater you are in. Especially since the big theater chains have invested in PLF (Premium Large Format) screens that depend on it. Dolby Vision or other systems, it’s hard to know what you’ll get, or whether Imax is your best bet.

Taking things slowly The Odyssey is that it is available in so many versions – six, in total – that the film’s official website includes it the director to their different powers and forms. Although it differs between the 70mm Imax and the “standard” Imax, it does not show how much this “standard” can affect.

“It’s not worth it to their customers, and they’re basically selling the history of the big screen that Imax used to be,” Hyder says of the lack of clarity and consistency in how Imax is used.

Recent years have seen a resurgence of shooting and projection on film, with the Imax 70mm in particular becoming the gold standard. Nolan films have always released Imax 70mm for the fewest images they could have, but following the success of Oppenheimerlist of releases, incl Dune: Part Two, Sinners, One Battle After Anotherand Project Praise Marythey will follow suit.

When The Odyssey shot in a 1.43:1 aspect ratio, the footage was optimized to work well when cropped to other formats, up to 2.39:1. They were deliberately shot for digital, 35-mm, and 5-perf/70-mm work, all controlled by the director and showing his intent. Later, it will also be available to buy on Blu-ray or stream online. It’s no different than the difference between seeing a print or digital image of the Mona Lisa—which most people will do in their lifetime—and having the opportunity to see it in person at the Louvre.