A first for film history
Christopher Nolan's long-awaited adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey isn't just notable for its star-studded cast and sprawling nearly three-hour runtime — it's also a genuine milestone in cinema technology. The film was shot entirely using 70-mm IMAX film, making it the first movie in history to be captured this way from start to finish, according to CBC News.
Nolan has long been known for pushing large-format film as far as it can go, using 70mm IMAX sequences in movies like Dunkirk, Tenet, and Oppenheimer. But The Odyssey goes further than any of his previous projects, forgoing digital cameras entirely in favour of the massive, physically demanding IMAX film format for the whole production.
Why that matters for viewers
The catch is that watching The Odyssey the way it was meant to be seen requires a very specific kind of theatre — one equipped with genuine 70mm IMAX film projection, not the digital IMAX screens found in most multiplexes. These true film-based IMAX auditoriums are rare and expensive to maintain, which is why the projected format is such a big deal for cinephiles.
According to CBC News, only nine cities across Canada have theatres capable of screening the film in this original format. Halifax is one of them, giving Atlantic Canada a rare seat at the table alongside the country's biggest film markets when it comes to premium large-format cinema.
What this means for moviegoers
For Canadian film fans, the limited number of true 70mm IMAX screens means seeing The Odyssey as Nolan intended will likely involve some planning — and possibly some travel, depending on where you live. Tickets for these specialty screenings tend to sell out quickly given the novelty and the format's growing cult following since Oppenheimer's 70mm run drew crowds in 2023.
It's also a reminder of how much technical craft goes into a modern blockbuster. Shooting an entire film on 70mm IMAX stock is a costly and logistically complex choice — the cameras are large, loud, and the film reels themselves are massive and limited in length, forcing filmmakers to rethink how scenes are staged and shot. Nolan's commitment to physical film has made him something of a standard-bearer for the format at a time when most of the industry has moved to digital production.
As anticipation builds for the release, expect Canadian theatre chains to promote their 70mm IMAX capable locations heavily, with Halifax's inclusion on the shortlist likely to be a point of local pride for East Coast film buffs.
Source: CBC News
