Only a limited number of theaters are screening “The Odyssey” in director Christopher Nolan’s preferred format. Here’s where.
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Seeing Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” in the director’s preferred format may require a quest about as arduous as Odysseus’ journey home.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker’s movies are best viewed in 70mm IMAX, which allows moviegoers to soak in the epic film’s stunning visuals on a massive screen. But getting into one of those screenings is easier said than done. A limited number of movie theaters in the United States are technically capable of showing movies in 70mm IMAX, and even if you can make it out to one of those locations, tickets are hard to come by.
With the movie in theaters July 17, here’s what you need to know about seeing “The Odyssey” in 70mm IMAX, plus the other premium formats it’s available in.
What is 70mm IMAX?
In the simplest terms, 70mm IMAX is the way to see “The Odyssey” both in the highest resolution and on the largest screen possible.
A standard film strip is 35mm, so 70mm film is physically bigger, making for a higher resolution picture. Showing the movie in IMAX allows for an expanded image. So by seeing “The Odyssey” in 70mm IMAX, you’re seeing more of the frame than you would in a normal theater, and the image itself also looks better.
This is how Nolan recommends watching “The Odyssey,” but securing a seat in one of those screenings, particularly on opening weekend, will be tough. The tickets are so in demand that 70mm IMAX screenings started going on sale in July 2025, one year before the movie’s release. At the famed Lincoln Square IMAX theater in New York City, even showings at 3 a.m. are fully sold out.
What’s special about seeing ‘The Odyssey’ in 70mm IMAX?
Nolan has shown his films in 70mm IMAX before, including his most recent movie, “Oppenheimer.” But “The Odyssey” marks a historic first, both for Nolan and for movies in general: It’s the first narrative film to be shot entirely using IMAX cameras.
Typically, films will shoot only select sequences in IMAX, because IMAX cameras are loud, bulky and expensive. The cameras make so much noise that it has been difficult to film dialogue in this format, which is why most movies have only used IMAX cameras for big action sequences.
But with “The Odyssey,” Nolan solved this by placing the camera inside a casing dubbed a “blimp” to reduce the noise, allowing him to film both action and dialogue scenes for IMAX and maintain the expanded frame throughout the entire movie.
Where can you see ‘The Odyssey’ in 70mm IMAX?
According to IMAX, “The Odyssey” will be showing in 70mm IMAX at the following locations in the United States:
Arizona
Harkins Arizona Mills & IMAX – Tempe
California
Regal Hacienda Crossings & IMAX – Dublin
TCL Chinese Theater IMAX – Hollywood
Regal Irvine Spectrum + IMAX – Irvine
Regal LA Live & IMAX – Los Angeles
Regal Edwards Ontario Palace & IMAX – Ontario
Esquire IMAX – Sacramento
AMC Metreon 16 & IMAX − San Francisco
Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk Hollywood & IMAX − Universal City
Colorado
Cinemark Carefree Circle & IMAX – Colorado Springs
Regal Colorado Center 9 & IMAX – Denver
Florida
AutoNation IMAX, Museum of Discovery & Science − Fort Lauderdale
Georgia
Regal Mall of Georgia & IMAX − Buford
Illinois
Cinemark Seven Bridges & IMAX – Woodridge
Indiana
IMAX Theatre at Indiana State Museum − Indianapolis
Michigan
Celebration! Cinema Grand Rapids North & IMAX − Grand Rapids
Nevada
Brenden Palms 14 & IMAX – Las Vegas
New York
AMC Lincoln Square 13 & IMAX − New York
Cinemark Tinseltown Rochester & IMAX – Rochester
Pennsylvania
Regal UA King of Prussia & IMAX − King of Prussia
Rhode Island
Apple Cinemas Providence Place & IMAX – Providence
Tennessee
IMAX, Tennessee Aquarium – Chattanooga
Regal Opry Mills & IMAX – Nashville
Texas
Cinemark Dallas & IMAX – Dallas
AMC Rivercenter 11 & IMAX − San Antonio
What other premium formats is ‘The Odyssey’ available in?
If you can’t get into an IMAX 70mm showing, there are a few other premium format options that would be the next best thing.
One is standard IMAX, which benefits from a bigger screen and more expanded image than a regular theater. You’ll be missing out on the 70mm film experience, but the image will still “fill your entire field of vision on the floor-to-ceiling screen,” according to the movie’s official website.
At select locations, “The Odyssey” will also be available to watch on non-IMAX 70mm film. With this format, you’ll be getting a high-resolution picture, but without the full, tall image available with IMAX.
Dolby Cinema is another option, which offers a vivid image and is more widely available than 70mm. “The really fun thing with Dolby Vision is you’re looking at a very, very high contrast ratio: incredible blacks, very, very high, peak whites, peak brightnesses,” Nolan explained to Letterboxd, pointing to a nighttime storm sequence in the film that looks great in this format.
You can see a helpful comparison of how the image in “The Odyssey” will vary based on format using this page on the movie’s website.
Contributing: Patrick Ryan
