Nolan Shoots 'The Odyssey' Entirely on IMAX, Using 3-Minute Camera Bursts

Q: Is Nolan's push for IMAX creating a cinematic experience only for a privileged few?

Yes — at its highest level, Nolan’s IMAX push does make the “intended” experience available to a relatively privileged minority, even if the film itself is not. “The Odyssey” was designed for true 70mm IMAX, but only 41 theaters worldwide, including 25 in the U.S., can show it that way. Those screenings reportedly sold out deep into the run, with some fans traveling long distances to attend. That creates clear geographic and financial barriers: access depends on living near one of those venues, securing scarce tickets, and often paying premium prices plus travel costs. The exclusivity is heightened by Nolan’s own artistic framing. He and Hoyte van Hoytema describe IMAX not as a bonus but as the closest medium to human sight and central to the film’s realism. Many viewers elsewhere will see cropped versions, with as much as 40% of the image removed from the 1.43:1 presentation. In practical terms, that means the fullest version of Nolan’s vision is not broadly available. At the same time, it is not accurate to say the film is only for elites. “The Odyssey” is still being released in standard IMAX, other premium large formats, conventional theaters, and eventually home formats. Most audiences can still see the movie, just not in its optimal form. So the divide is real: Nolan is expanding what cinema can do, but he is also reinforcing a two-tier movie culture, where the definitive experience is scarce, expensive, and concentrated in a small number of places.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 17

“The Odyssey” is being filmed entirely with IMAX cameras, making it the first commercial feature to use the large-format system for a whole movie.
Christopher Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema said that choice fit their realism-first approach, pushing them to shoot on real oceans and in deserts with tangible elements in front of the camera.
The format brought major technical constraints, including cumbersome equipment and short three-minute shooting bursts, while some tools had to be invented specifically for Nolan’s production methods.
Nolan said the project fulfills a goal he formed at 16 or 17 after seeing IMAX films in museums and theme parks; he is now nearing 56.