Christopher Nolan’s film The Odyssey is set to open nationwide this Friday. However, for a limited number of moviegoers, the only way to experience the film in its native 15/70 IMAX film format is to visit one of approximately 25 theaters across the United States equipped to project it. One of those theaters is located right here in Dallas.
Cinemark Dallas XD and IMAX is the only theater in North Texas – and one of just two in the entire state, alongside AMC Rivercenter 11 in San Antonio – capable of screening the film print in its “native 15-perforation,” 70mm format, per Cinemark. Across America, only about 25 to 30 theaters hold that distinction, making Dallas a rare stop on the map for film purists.
The Odyssey is the first narrative feature film ever shot entirely with IMAX film cameras. To project it as director Christopher Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema intended, a specialized 15/70 IMAX film projector is required. Only a few theaters worldwide still maintain this type of projector. Most multiplex theaters that advertise “IMAX” actually screen a digital laser presentation rather than a physical film print.
Cinemark recently gave fans a look at how much work goes into getting that print ready. In a behind-the-scenes video posted to Instagram, the theater revealed that the film used during production was around 2.1 million feet long, and the final film print delivered to theaters like Cinemark Dallas weighs approximately 845 pounds.
Handling a reel that size requires trained projectionists and specialized equipment to move it into place, let alone load it correctly in the projector.
For audiences in Dallas, the payoff is a screen far larger than a standard theater format, filling almost the entire field of vision. Experts have estimated the effective resolving power of 15/70 IMAX film to be roughly comparable to between 12K and 18K digital resolution, though there is no universally accepted equivalent.
The Cast and The Controversy
Nolan filled out The Odyssey with a heavyweight ensemble, casting Matt Damon as Odysseus and surrounding him with Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron.
One name on that list that has generated its own headlines is Ellen Page, who changed her name to Elliot Page in 2020 when she decided to become a “transgender” person.
In The Iliad, for example, Helen is described as the epitome of ancient Greek beauty with fair skin and golden hair, while bards were traditional figures in the royal courts of Bronze Age Greece. Some critics have argued that these modern casting decisions turn a faithful retelling of the ancient epics into something that feels more like a vehicle for social messaging, while others view them as part of Nolan’s creative adaptation.
Additionally, some left-winged activists have called for a boycott of The Odyssey due to portions of the film being shot in Dakhla, a coastal city in Western Sahara—a territory disputed and largely controlled by Morocco since 1975, which critics describe as “occupied.” Organizers of the Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara) criticized the production for potentially normalizing Morocco’s control over the region and the reported repression of the indigenous Sahrawi people, urging Nolan and the team to avoid using the footage.
The Odyssey opens across America on July 17, is rated R, and runs two hours and 52 minutes.
Provided by Dallas Express
