Christopher Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ Will Be the First Blockbuster Shot Entirely on Imax Cameras

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Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of The Odyssey, titled Oppenheimer, marks the renowned director’s grand interpretation of the timeless Greek legend. This movie will be uniquely filmed using IMAX cameras, making it the inaugural instance of a commercial production shot entirely with this technology.

Nolan has always preferred working with the large-scale cinema style, showcased in films like Dunkirk, Interstellar, the Dark Knight series, Tenet, and now Oppenheimer. However, capturing an entire movie using the massive, noisy, and difficult-to-handle Imax cameras was previously impractical.

Until now.

Following the box office success of the movie “Oppenheimer”, which generated over $190 million on Imax screens, accounting for about 20% of its total earnings, Nolan urged the company to enhance their cameras. He wanted them to become lighter and quieter, and to address problems related to scanning and processing the 70 mm film stock used by the cameras, so he could conveniently review daily footage while filming.

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In the wake of “Oppenheimer’s” impressive $190 million earnings on Imax screens, representing approximately 20% of its overall income, Nolan requested improvements to the company’s cameras. He aimed for lighter and quieter models, as well as solutions to technical issues with scanning and processing the 70 mm film stock. This was to facilitate easy viewing of daily footage during filming.

Chris contacted me and proposed, ‘If you can find solutions to these issues, I’ll ensure Odyssey runs entirely in IMAX at 100%. That’s the path we’re taking,’ said Imax CEO Rich Gelfond during the company’s annual press gathering in Cannes on Thursday. He challenged us to reconsider various aspects of our business, specifically our film recorders and cameras.

It’s said that the latest Imax cameras are supposedly 30% quieter, potentially eliminating the issue of muffled dialogue in movies like those directed by Nolan. Additionally, these new cameras are significantly lighter. As per Gelfond, advancements in film scanning and processing methods promise a quicker delivery of daily footage.

Currently, the newly acquired cameras are being kept exclusive for Nolan’s use. Once he completes ‘The Odyssey’, however, Imax plans to lend these cameras to other film directors.

2025 is expected to see a significant surge in demand for films, as Gelfond highlighted the unprecedented number of movies set to release that were either partially or entirely shot using Imax cameras. This includes Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which premiered its Imax version in Cannes last night, and Joseph Kosinski’s forthcoming racing movie Formula One, featuring Brad Pitt.

The movie “Narnia,” directed by Greta Gerwig, is set to be filmed in IMAX. It’s not confirmed whether some scenes will be shot with IMAX cameras. Netflix has an arrangement with IMAX that gives them a 28-day exclusive theatrical release of Narnia before it becomes available on their streaming platform.

Additionally, Gelfond unveiled the creation of the first-ever Imax documentary in a foreign language, titled “Patrouille de France.” This production is a collaboration between Federation Studios and Imago Production. The full-length documentary offers an inside look at a year within the life of the Patrouille de France, a renowned aerobatics team.

team of the French Air and Space Force — from the selection process and intense training to its

The project builds upon Imax’s success with ‘The Blue Angels’, a documentary by Paul Crowder, produced in collaboration with Amazon MGM Studios, centering around the pilots of the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron.)

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2025-05-15 17:25