Christopher Nolan's *The Odyssey* filmed on IMAX 1570 film and its global screenings
Consensus Summary
Christopher Nolan’s *The Odyssey* is the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX 1570 film, the highest-resolution format available, requiring only 41 cinemas worldwide to screen it. IMAX Melbourne is the sole Southern Hemisphere venue offering 1570 projections, drawing fans from across the globe. The film’s massive 17km-long, 240kg reel and Nolan’s advocacy for analog formats have sparked unprecedented demand, with tickets selling out rapidly and presales surpassing previous records. Since *Oppenheimer*’s release three years ago, the number of 1570-capable cinemas grew from 30 to 41, and six other 70mm films have been released, reflecting a resurgence in analog filmmaking. The *Odyssey* arrives in Australia on July 16, with special screenings already sold out, highlighting the cultural shift toward premium, format-specific cinema experiences.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The Odyssey is the first feature film ever shot entirely on IMAX 1570 film, the highest-resolution film format in existence
- There are now only 41 cinemas in the world capable of projecting IMAX 1570 film
- IMAX Melbourne is the only cinema in the Southern Hemisphere screening *The Odyssey* in IMAX 1570 format
- The enormous IMAX 1570 reel runs more than 17km and weighs 240kg
- Tickets for *The Odyssey* sold more than 17,000 in under 24 hours when they first went on sale a year ago
- The Odyssey has since sold more than 30,000 tickets
- The Odyssey is already IMAX Melbourne’s eighth biggest film of all time before its release
- The number of cinemas able to project 1570 film has risen from 30 to 41 globally since the release of *Oppenheimer* three years ago
- IMAX used to release one 70mm film every three years, nearly all of which were Nolan titles
- Since *Oppenheimer*, there have been six 70mm films released: *Joker: Folie à deux*, *Dune: Part II*, *Sinners*, *Project Hail Mary*, *One Battle After Another*
- The Odyssey will land in Australian cinemas on July 16
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The film stock had to be changed every three minutes during the *Odyssey* shoot
- Nolan appealed to IMAX cinemas around the world to show his 2017 film *Dunkirk* on 1570
- The 180kg camera used for *The Odyssey* required a soundproofing 'blimp' for dialogue recording
- Christian Wächter, 45, and his wife, Romy Demeter, 42, traveled from Germany to Melbourne to see *The Odyssey* twice
- Demeter mentioned her 87-year-old grandmother laughed at their enthusiasm for the film
- IMAX Melbourne’s screen is the largest 1.43:1 cinema screen in the world, measuring 32m wide by 23m high
- Adult tickets for *The Odyssey* cost $47, with premium seating at $70
- IMAX Melbourne’s presale for *The Odyssey* became their highest-grossing presale of all time, beating *Oppenheimer*
- Most attendees at IMAX screenings are in their 20s and 30s
- Melbourne’s Cinema Nova hosted a four-week book club event on *The Odyssey* that sold out within 24 hours
- Nolan fans can watch *The Odyssey* first-thing on July 16 at IMAX Fountain Gate, the Ritz, and Event/Hoyts cinemas
- Some Australian cinemas (Sydney’s Ritz, Melbourne’s Rivoli and Astor) are screening *The Odyssey* in 70mm analog format
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian says there are 41 cinemas globally capable of projecting 1570 film, but The Age says there are 40 other cinemas worldwide showing *The Odyssey* this way (implying 41 total including IMAX Melbourne)
- The Guardian states the reel weighs 240kg, while The Age says it weighs about 250kg
- The Guardian says tickets sold more than 17,000 in under 24 hours when they first went on sale a year ago, while The Age says IMAX screenings have been selling out globally months before the July 16 release (no specific number given)
Source Articles
The Odyssey was filmed on Imax film. Only one southern hemisphere cinema can screen it – video
Christopher Nolan's latest film, an adaptation of Homer's epic The Odyssey, is the the first feature film ever shot entirely on Imax 1570 film, the highest-resolution film format in existence. There are now only 41 cinemas in the world capable of projecting the format. Guardian Australia goes behind the scenes at Imax Melbourne, the only cinema in the southern hemisphere with a 1570 reel of Nolan's film Christopher Nolan fans are embarking on epic journeys to see The Odyssey the way he wants the
17 kilometres of film, $47 a ticket: How The Odyssey is resurrecting film
Just a few dozen cinemas worldwide are showing The Odyssey exactly as its director intended – and one of them is in Australia.
Christopher Nolan fans are embarking on epic journeys to see The Odyssey the way he wants them to
Cinephiles are crossing oceans to see the film at its highest possible resolution – and only 41 cinemas in the world are equipped to do it In Homer’s Odyssey, the hero Odysseus embarks on an epic journey spanning oceans, monsters and gods to return home to his family. In a remarkable parallel, Christopher Nolan’s fans are embarking on epic journeys of their own to see his adaptation of The Odyssey in one of the few surviving Imax 1570 cinemas around the world, the Oscar-winning film-maker’s pref