Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey Opens in Theaters, First Feature Shot Entirely on IMAX Film

Movie theaters began showing Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" on Friday, July 10, 2026. The Independent reported that the film is the first feature shot entirely on IMAX film. Nolan had pursued the approach for years.

The new camera, named The Keighley after longtime IMAX executives Patricia and David Keighley, weighed 300 pounds when encased. Film had to be reloaded every two and a half to three minutes, and a mirror system let actors see one another around the large rig. The film is dedicated to David Keighley, who died three weeks after finishing his work on the project.

Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema also worked on the production. Nolan's three prior films, "Dunkirk," "Tenet," and "Oppenheimer," were shot on large-format film stock. He has used IMAX cameras since "The Dark Knight," which opened with an IMAX 70 mm shot.

The IMAX format delivers nearly 18,000 pixels per frame compared with 1,920 on a home HD screen. IMAX 70 mm presentations are limited to 32 theaters in the U.S. and Canada. Screenings at AMC Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles and AMC Lincoln Square in New York sold out for weeks.

Additional locations include Cinemark 17 in Dallas, Regal King of Prussia near Philadelphia, and Esquire IMAX in Sacramento. Nolan said his favorite format remains IMAX 70 mm film presentations. He described the goal as giving audiences "something special" and noted that the large negative produces sharpness and depth that make the screen disappear.