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A Blockbuster for the Biggest Screen
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey opened on July 17th to a $124.5 million domestic debut – with IMAX 70mm showtimes sold out weeks in advance and resale tickets commanding more than $1,000 in New York. So what does the premium-format craze look like on the ground? We dove into the data to find out.
Premium Screens Pull Ahead
The Odyssey's opening weekend was a boon for the whole category. On July 17th and 18th, visits to movie theaters nationwide ran 22.5% above the spring-summer weekend baseline, making it one of the strongest showings of the year. But IMAX 70mm venues were in a different league entirely, with visits 60.5% above baseline.
The gap likely reflects the format's scarcity. Just 41 theaters worldwide can screen the film in IMAX 70mm, and IMAX's record-breaking $52.0 million global opening suggests that audiences went out of their way to experience the movie as Nolan intended.
The boost also extended to the second weekend, when the wider category settled back to 10.6% above average, while IMAX 70mm venues remained 54.7% elevated. And with AMC reporting that most of its IMAX 70mm showtimes are sold out into September, the visit boost could carry deep into the summer.
While The Odyssey is the year's most dramatic example of the format effect, it isn't the only one. When Project Hail Mary – another IMAX-lensed release – opened on March 20th, weekend visits to 70mm venues outpaced the broader circuit. By contrast, regular theaters carried the day during other major release weekends, including May 29th and 30th, when A24's Backrooms opened to a studio-record $81.4 million while The Mandalorian and Grogu entered its second weekend.
Going the Distance
Audiences also went out of their way for The Odyssey in the most literal sense. IMAX 70mm venues usually attract moviegoers from a wider radius than the average theater – with so few locations nationwide, they function as regional draws rather than neighborhood haunts.
But The Odyssey stretched that reach dramatically. Over the film's first two weekends, the share of IMAX 70mm visitors traveling 10+ miles jumped to 48.4% and 52.0%, respectively, while the broader category ticked up only modestly.
The Bottom Line
The premium-format boost is title-specific – it appears when the event film of the moment is also a format film. But when the two align, the effect is powerful: For a small fleet of theaters, the right release can transform an ordinary weekend into a destination event. With 70mm showtimes selling out into September, will The Odyssey keep those screens packed through the end of summer? If so, the film's run may give exhibitors their strongest argument yet for investing in premium formats.
For more data-driven entertainment insights, visit Placer.ai/anchor.
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