Many of the Oscar contenders for best picture will return to the big screen before Hollywood’s biggest night. A few of them are even coming back to beloved Imax 70mm screens, Variety can exclusively report.
While specific dates have yet to be announced, “Sinners” will return to select Imax 70mm screens during its Oscar run and potentially beyond, sources tell Variety. “Sinners” is the only film between Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and the upcoming “Odyssey” to be shot with Imax film cameras. Ryan Coogler shot the movie on 70mm film and, before its release, he educated audiences on the different aspect ratios and the importance of Imax screens. With 16 Oscar nods, “Sinners” became the most-nominated film of all time, surpassing 14-time nominees “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land.” Coogler is nominated for best director, and Michael B. Jordan is up for best actor for his performance of twins Smoke and Stack.
“One Battle After Another” will also return to select IMAX 70mm locations in the coming weeks. The Paul Thomas Anderson film scored 13 Oscar nominations, including for actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn. Warner Bros. is the studio behind both “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.”
A24 announced on Thursday that its nine-time Oscar nominee “Marty Supreme” will get a nationwide Imax run starting Jan. 30. The Josh Safdie film, which is the studio’s highest-grossing domestic release, stars Timothée Chalamet as a ping pong superstar opposite Odessa A’zion, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin O’Leary and Tyler, the Creator.
Netflix’s best picture contender “Frankenstein” had a brief return to cinemas for one week before Oscar nominations, including a stop at the TLC Chinese Imax in Los Angeles. And while there are no concrete plans, Variety hears “F1” is exploring a potential return to Imax 70mm screens. Apple’s Brad Pitt racing blockbuster landed four Oscar nods, including for best picture.
It’s a big year for Imax, with blockbusters and auteur films over-indexing on the company’s screens. At least 20% of the domestic box office openings for “Sinners,” “One Battle After Another” and “F1” came from Imax tickets.
