Christopher Nolan's THE ODYSSEY Is Sparking a 70mm Revolution as Theaters Are Upgrading

The tagline for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey, “Defy the gods,” feels perfectly fitting. Not only does it tease Odysseus’s mythic journey home, but it also mirrors what Nolan himself is doing to the movie industry.

With the film still nine months from release, The Odyssey is already reshaping the theatrical landscape. Tickets have sold out in select markets, and major theater chains are scrambling to keep up with Nolan’s vision for how cinema should be experienced.

IMAX 70mm film is officially back in the spotlight, and Nolan’s leading the charge. Thanks to the impact of Oppenheimer and the growing enthusiasm for large-format filmmaking, theaters are making serious upgrades.

Variety reports that Cinemark has partnered with IMAX to expand access to true 70mm film projection, giving audiences in the U.S. and South America more chances to see The Odyssey exactly as Nolan intends.

As part of this new agreement, twelve Cinemark theaters are upgrading their existing IMAX screens to IMAX with Laser, a format that became a major talking point during the release of Oppenheimer in 2023.

New IMAX 70mm locations include Cinemark Seven Bridges in Woodridge (Chicago suburb), Cinemark Carefree Circle in Colorado Springs, and Cinemark Tinseltown in Rochester, all ready in time for The Odyssey.

This move puts Nolan squarely alongside filmmaking heavyweights like James Cameron and Peter Jackson, who have both pushed the boundaries of cinematic technology in their own ways. Right now, only about 30 theaters in the world can handle an IMAX 70mm print, those massive reels that light up social media whenever Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, or Ryan Coogler roll them out for their own projects.

And like Cameron’s 3D revolution before Avatar, Nolan is now redefining what premium cinema looks and feels like.

It’s another chapter in Nolan’s ongoing mission to keep movie theaters alive and thriving. While this expansion doesn’t yet reach every corner of the globe, it’s a meaningful step toward making high-end film presentation more accessible.

Interestingly, none of the new IMAX 70mm Cinemark sites are in New York or Los Angeles, a move that opens the door for audiences outside those film capitals to experience Nolan’s preferred format firsthand.

This push for large-format storytelling isn’t stopping here. Denis Villeneuve is reportedly planning to shoot Dune: Part 3 in IMAX 70mm, further fueling the resurgence Nolan helped ignite.

If this really is the future of cinema, where filmmakers and fans alike celebrate the grandeur of real film projection, then the gods of Olympus might just have to take a seat and watch.

The Odyssey opens in theaters everywhere, including select IMAX 70mm locations, on July 17, 2026.