50-year-old 'machine problem' is why The Odyssey can be seen in true IMAX at 41 theatres
The limited availability of 70mm IMAX screenings for 'The Odyssey' is due to a 50-year-old manufacturing gap in specialized film projectors. IMAX is currently forced to retrofit and rebuild aging machines as digital projection has become the industry standard.
Why it matters
This illustrates the challenges of maintaining legacy hardware in a rapidly digitizing industry and the preservation of high-fidelity cinematic experiences.
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is playing in IMAX cinemas worldwide, but viewers wanting to watch the film in its intended 70mm IMAX format have only 41 theatres to choose from. The reason is not limited demand or a marketing strategy, but a decades-old technology challenge: IMAX has not manufactured new 70mm film projectors for around 50 years, leaving the company to rebuild and retrofit ageing machines.Explaining the shortage, IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond recently told Variety, “There’s certainly more demand. The problem is they haven’t made new IMAX film projectors in about 50 years.
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