Michigan’s rare 70mm IMAX Odyssey showings
Only 3 Michigan venues show Odyssey in true 70mm IMAX: Celebration! Cinema GR North, IMAX GR, Michigan Science Center.
There are only a select number of movie theaters nationally that have the capacity to display Christopher Nolan’s long-awaited film, “The Odyssey,” as the director intended — in true 70mm IMAX format.
And if you’re hoping to find one in Michigan showing the movie, you’re in luck.
According to IMAX, “The Odyssey” will be showing in 70mm IMAX at Celebration! Cinema Grand Rapids North & IMAX, in Grand Rapids, at 2121 Celebration Dr. The only other true 70mm IMAX format in the state is at the Michigan Science Center in Detroit, which primarily show educational or science-focused films.
Only 25 theaters nationally are showing the film in its intended format, USA TODAY reported.
“The Odessey,” is an adaption of the ancient tale about the war hero Odysseus, whose journey home is troubled by sea storms, shipwrecks and monsters.
The cast includes a host of Hollywood heavyweights like Matt Damon, Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway.
What is 70mm IMAX format?
70mm IMAX refers to a high-resolution film stock, twice the width of ordinary 35mm film, according to the Film at Lincoln Center.
The format is considered better than the smaller-sized film because it projects more colors and detail onto the screen.
The size of the film reels and the special projectors that are needed to display 70mm film are costly to maintain, which contributed to the reason the format faded from use, in addition to technological advances, media reports say.
IMAX screens in Michigan are similar, but don’t use film
Interest in seeing films in the higher-resolution format as intended has increased in the past few years, particularly since the release of Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” in 2023 and director Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” in 2025.
Digital IMAX allows film watchers to see 40mm movies in similar dimensions to the 70mm format using Christie 2K projectors — which, while still a step up from typical 35mm movie experiences and standard projectors, do not match up to an IMAX 70mm film viewing.
Critics say the aspect ratios are wrong, the sound quality is inferior and the resolution of the image falls short with Digital IMAX.
Still, movie theaters across the country bill this viewing as IMAX, but far fewer screens in fact show true IMAX 70mm films.
Michigan Digital IMAX theaters showing ‘The Odessey’
- AMC Mayfair Mall 18 & IMAX, 16561 Trenton Road, Southgate
- Celebration! Cinema Crossroads & IMAX, 6600 Ring Road, Portage
- Cinemark Ann Arbor 20 & IMAX, 4100 Carpenter Road & Ellsworth Ave., Ypsilanti
- AMC Livonia 20 & IMAX, 19500 Haggerty Road, Livonia
- AMC Forum 30 & IMAX, 44681 Mound Road, Sterling Heights
- AMC Star Great Lakes 25 & IMAX, 4300 Baldwin Road, Auburn Hills
- Celebration! Cinema & IMAX, 200 E. Edgewood Blvd., Lansing
- NCG Trillium & IMAX, 8220 Trillium Circle Ave., Grand Blanc
- Celebration! Cinema Grand Rapids North & IMAX, 2121 Celebration Drive NE, Grand Rapids
- AMC Cherry Blossom 14 & IMAX, 3825 Marketplace Circle, Traverse City
The 2 Michigan true IMAX 70mm theaters
Watch ‘The Odyssey’ trailer
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected].
