'The Odyssey' Sparks IMAX Stampede -- and Backlash Over Elitism

Christopher Nolan's latest film, "The Odyssey," has become a box office sensation and a powerful promotional tool for IMAX cinema technology. However, the film's exclusive use of the highest-resolution 70mm IMAX format has ignited an online backlash, with critics decrying its perceived elitism.

Nolan, the first director to shoot an entire feature film using a specially designed 70mm IMAX camera, has created an epic about the ancient Greek hero Odysseus. The demand for the optimal viewing experience has led to sold-out screenings weeks in advance, with some cinemas adding late or midnight showings. The significant catch is that only 41 cinemas globally are equipped to project Nolan's special 70mm film print. Furthermore, tickets for standard digital IMAX screens, which offer a different, cropped version of the intended image, are often double the price of regular cinema tickets.

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Creating a film in a format that most people can never experience as intended is not how an auteur of world cinema should work.

Journalist Harsh Tiwari, writing for India's The Print, criticized the approach, stating, "Creating a film in a format that most people can never experience as intended is not how an auteur of world cinema should work." The limited availability is particularly stark when considering that over half of the 70mm IMAX theaters are in the United States, while a country like India, with its 1.5 billion population, has none.

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This isn't fair. Only a few people will get to experience Nolan's true vision.

Social media users have also voiced their frustration. User @CinemaRythmes complained on X, "This isn't fair. Only a few people will get to experience Nolan's true vision." On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, humorous videos mock Nolan's "format snobbery" by showing the movie on small screens or with distractions, sarcastically claiming it's "as Nolan intended."

IMAX, the Canadian-headquartered company known for its high-resolution cameras and large-format screens, reported "extraordinary" audience response and "tremendous interest in IMAX technology." The company added 11 new 70mm theaters worldwide in anticipation of demand for the film, which required a specially developed, 200-kilogram camera known as the Keighley Film Camera.

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It was a difficult film. It should be difficult: it's the Odyssey, it should be hard, and that's fine.