Commentary: 'The Odyssey' is great but Imax 70mm snobbery is not the answer to Hollywood's woes
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Set us as preferred If I see one more person saying that the only way to truly experience Christopher Nolan’s vision of “The Odyssey” is to see it in Imax 70mm, I am going to start turning cinephiles into swine.I understand that this is a technically true statement.As we all know by now, Nolan went on his own hero’s journey with this film, using an unwieldy and extremely loud Imax camera to shoot it (a feat only he and perhaps a few other directors would be given the finances to do).
Like many, I applaud his efforts and those that were made to increase the number of theaters capable of projecting Imax 70mm (and 70mm in general).There is an undisputed cultural magnificence to reimagining a nearly 3,000-year-old tale in the most artistically immersive format currently available to filmmakers.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of filmgoers will never be able to see this master vision; only 25 theaters in the country are capable of showing the film in Imax 70mm — eight in California (including four in the L.A.area); two in Colorado, New York, Texas and Tennessee; and one in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.So a little more than twice the number of U.S.
World Cup venues this year.But then, you could watch the World Cup on TV.Not that you’ll be able to watch “The Odyssey” on TV anytime soon.
As a rigorous defender of the theatrical experience, Nolan requires that his films stay in cinemas and off streamers for much longer than the average movie — “The Odyssey” will likely not be available on NBCUniversal’s Peacock until early 2027.Entertainment & Arts Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is fueling renewed demand for Imax 70mm, shining a spotlight on the specialty theaters and projectionists keeping analog film alive.It is a noble miss...