Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Is Doing One thing No Movie Has Achieved Earlier than

Christopher Nolan has done it again. He was one of many first Hollywood filmmakers to have scenes from his films expand on IMAX screens and now he’s lastly answering the query anybody who noticed The Darkish Knight, Mission: Unattainable – Ghost Protocol, Dune: Half Two, Sinners, Oppenheimer, or dozens of other movies in IMAX has thought: “Why isn’t the entire film like this?”

Nicely, as a result of up till now, it was unimaginable. The cameras have been too huge and too loud to movie a whole Hollywood film like that. It was a privilege held for choose motion sequences, live performance movies, or nature documentaries with out dialogue. However for his new movie, The Odyssey, Nolan requested IMAX to make smaller, quieter cameras able to capturing footage that might display screen in that huge, signature 1.43:1 side ratio and the corporate did simply that. So, Nolan has been filming The Odyssey completely with IMAX movie cameras, making it the primary Hollywood blockbuster ever to take action.

“Chris referred to as me up and mentioned Should you can determine how one can clear up the issues, we’ll make [The Odyssey] 100% in IMAX. And that’s what we’re doing,” IMAX CEO Wealthy Gelfond mentioned on the Cannes Movie Competition this week. “He compelled us to rethink that aspect of our enterprise, our movie recorders, our movie cameras.”

The cameras are reportedly 30% quieter than the earlier iterations and “considerably lighter,” based on the Hollywood Reporter. Nolan has all of the cameras engaged on his movie now, however when he’s finished, different filmmakers can use them too.

In fact, it needed to be Nolan. It was Nolan who modified the sport with The Darkish Knight when he determined to showcase choose scenes by filming them with IMAX movie cameras, making the footage larger and clearer than the remainder of the film. Within the years since Nolan himself, and several other different filmmakers—together with Michael Bay, Brad Hen, Denis Villeneuve, and Ryan Coogler—have finished related issues with their movies. You go to see a film on a real IMAX display screen, and whereas most of it’s in a standard side ratio, sure scenes change the ratio and the entire display screen is crammed, mainly going from a rectangle to a large sq..

That’s totally different from many of the motion pictures you see in IMAX lately. These are shot with smaller, digital IMAX cameras which seize photographs that may be projected bigger than a typical side ratio, however not that full 1:43:1. Right here’s a, now barely dated however nonetheless useful, explainer launched by Total Film when Oppenheimer hit theaters. Nolan’s movie is being filmed completely within the IMAX movie format within the high left.

Coogler additionally not too long ago launched a video about movie shares and side ratios that he used filming Sinners, which was shot partially with IMAX movie cameras. That’s additionally very useful and you’ll check that out here.

So, sure, different movies have been filmed completely with IMAX movie cameras earlier than. However not an enormous Hollywood blockbuster.

What this implies for the viewers member is, when you don’t know already, time to perform a little research. Are there IMAX theaters by you that may present movies within the 1:43:1 side ratio? If that’s the case, you’re going to wish to maintain an eye fixed out for when superior tickets for The Odyssey go on sale subsequent summer time. We’re positive it’ll be nice nevertheless or everytime you see it. However to see the entire thing in full 1:43:1 IMAX will actually be witnessing a brand new period of movie historical past.

Starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron, The Odyssey is about to open July 17, 2026.

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