Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Tickets on Sale Across 6 Formats
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- "The Odyssey" is the first narrative feature shot entirely with IMAX cameras, with tickets going on sale Thursday across IMAX 70mm, IMAX 1.90:1, standard 70mm, 35mm, Dolby Vision, and Premium Large Format presentations.
- Hoyte van Hoytema convinced Christopher Nolan that IMAX cameras could record dialogue by shooting test footage of a child reading David Bowie's "Sound and Vision" lyrics — Nolan called the intimacy of the image and sound the proof he needed to commit to full IMAX.
- Matt Damon stars as Odysseus alongside Zendaya as the goddess Athena, Tom Holland as Telemachus, and Lupita Nyong'o in a dual role as both Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra.
- IMAX 70mm screens the film in a 1.43:1 aspect ratio with 15 perforations per frame running horizontally through the projector — the largest and highest-resolution theatrical format available, with the image filling floor-to-ceiling screens.
- Christopher Nolan wrote the screenplay and produced the film with his wife Emma Thomas, adapting Homer's saga of Odysseus's long journey home after the Trojan War.
- Anne Hathaway leads the format-pitch effort on the film's website, explaining the movie "was shot and designed to be experienced on the biggest screen possible," while Tom Holland champions motion-seat-equipped Premium Large Format theaters.
- Dolby Vision presents the film at a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, with local Dolby Cinemas offering two aspect ratios (2.39:1 Cinema Scope or 1.85:1 Flat) depending on the auditorium's native screen.
Why it matters: Building an entire feature around IMAX's largest format is both a technical milestone and a commercial bet — distribution hinges on which theaters can actually show the film as Nolan intended. With six presentation formats now competing for ticket buyers, the box office will reveal how many audiences are willing to hunt down the rare IMAX 70mm screenings versus settling for standard digital presentations.
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