Director Christopher Nolan, left, and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema with an Imax digital camera on the set of the movie “The Odyssey.”
Courtesy: Melinda Sue Gordon | Common Studios
“The Odyssey” continues.
Common and Imax have prolonged the provision of 70 mm screenings of Christopher Nolan’s retelling of Homer’s epic into mid-September, however that may not be sufficient to fulfill demand.
Tickets are promoting out as rapidly as they’re being launched to the general public as moviegoers search to see Nolan’s movie within the side ratio that it was shot in and on bodily movie. Whereas Imax affords a wide range of display screen choices, together with digital variations of the 70 mm side ratio, these viewings are sometimes cropped to suit the auditorium wherein they’re being proven.
There are solely 25 screens within the U.S. that may play bodily movie reels of Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and solely 41 places in complete globally. These screens are restricted in quantity as a result of nearly all of motion pictures are filmed and screened digitally. As demand for “The Odyssey” soars, Imax has launched late evening and early morning screenings.
As of the weekend, Imax ticket gross sales for “The Odyssey” have surpassed $140 million worldwide. That is just a little greater than 20% of the $652 million the movie has tallied globally. But, the Imax places signify lower than 1% of complete screens.
The theatrical trade noticed the same phenomenon in 2023 when Nolan launched the Oscar-winning biopic “Oppenheimer.”
General, “The Odyssey” has dominated on the field workplace, with second-week ticket gross sales dropping simply 27% from its home opening weekend. Sometimes, a Hollywood blockbuster will see ticket gross sales fall between 50% and 70% every week after its debut. A smaller decline usually signifies robust phrase of mouth and repeat viewings.
“The Odyssey” has additionally benefitted from audiences reserving tickets prematurely. Some screenings of the movie grew to become out there for buy in July 2025, a yr earlier than the film’s launch.
For the previous three weeks, “The Odyssey” has run in theaters with comparatively low competitors. Nevertheless, with Sony and Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Model New Day” arriving this Friday and the filmed-for-Imax options “The Finish of Oak Avenue” and “Resident Evil” on the horizon, “The Odyssey” will quickly should share display screen time with others.
Nevertheless, Imax’s subsequent 70 mm dedication is not till Dec. 18, when Warner Bros. and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Half Three” hits theaters.