Rita Su is the first to admit she’s gone a little overboard with Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”
Since the film’s theatrical debut in mid-July, she’s watched the nearly three-hour epic 10 times. She attended Toronto’s first sold-out Imax 70-milimetre screening — and has the oversized commemorative ticket to prove it — before returning to see it again in nearly every format available: Imax digital, standard 70-milimetre and even 4DX, complete with wind, water and motion effects.
She jokingly calls the habit “Odyssey-maxxing,” borrowing from the internet slang “looksmaxxing” to describe her quest to experience Nolan’s latest film in every way possible. She figures she will stop at 13 screenings, one more than Nolan once said he watched the original “Star Wars” in theatres.
“I wasn’t around when ‘Star Wars’ or ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ first came out,” the 44-year-old film and TV producer told the Star.
“But I feel like in those times I would be doing something like this.”
Su is one of many moviegoers across the world squeezing in repeat viewings of “The Odyssey,” some even trekking hundreds of kilometres for the chance to see it in Imax 70-milimetre, the celluloid format Nolan has long championed.
For her and many others, repeat viewings are not simply about seeing the film again. They’re about experiencing the best possible version.
What separates “The Odyssey” from other box office hits isn’t just the film, it’s the scarcity of the ultimate Imax 70-milimetre format. Cinephiles say that version delivers greater depth and texture than digital projection while taking full advantage of the wider Imax frame.
Only nine celluloid Imax projectors are showing “The Odyssey” in Canada, out of just 41 across the world. The aging machines require emergency repairs and frequent maintenance by trained projectionists.
Nolan films have long been treated as cultural events. His 2023 biopic “Oppenheimer” helped spark “Barbenheimer,” the viral moviegoing trend that saw audiences pair it with Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” after the two blockbusters opened on the same weekend. But the director’s latest sprawling adventure has inspired a different kind of devotion, one more often associated with concerts or major sporting events.
That rarity has made Imax 70-milimetre screenings feel like special engagements, with moviegoers paying a premium price of about $30 a ticket and planning weeks in advance to secure a seat.
Cineplex says it has heard from moviegoers as far away as the United Kingdom seeking tickets for its Imax 70-milimetre screenings. On Thursday, the theatre chain opened additional showtimes in Vaughan and Mississauga through Sept. 16, a rare extension of “The Odyssey” into its third month on Imax screens.
“The sound is phenomenal, the visuals are grand, this is stuff you don’t see everyday,” said Robb Ghag, another repeat viewer of the Nolan epic, who has tickets for his third viewing next month.
“We’ve got a pretty good setup at home, but for me, there’s nothing like having that shared experience with a bunch of strangers.”
The strain on those aging Imax projectors was clear last week when the Imax 70-milimetre projector at Cineplex Cinemas Vaughan broke down, leaving hundreds of advance ticket holders without the experience they had waited months for.
Some took to social media to vent their frustration. Cineplex replaced the screenings with a digital Imax presentation and offered complimentary passes, but for many, it wasn’t the same.
Even before the breakdown, demand had fuelled a thriving resale market. On eBay this week, one ticket to a Vaughan Imax 70-mm screening was listed for $400, while a pair of centre seats for an August show was priced at about $300.
Fortunately for moviegoers shut out of Imax 70-milimetre screenings, there are other ways to see the film, including on regular celluloid 70-milimetre screenings at cinemas such as the Varsity.
Cineplex’s UltraAVX auditoriums project the film on wall-to-wall screens in 4K resolution. Most also feature Dolby Atmos surround sound, with up to 64 audio channels that create the sensation of being surrounded by the action. It’s not the wider Imax presentation, but more casual moviegoers may not notice the difference.
There’s also the 4DX sensory experience at Cineplex’s Yonge and Dundas cinema which has drawn attention on social media for its intensity.
Seats shake, vibrate and pivot with the action in the film, which is especially impactful during moments on the high seas. Flashing lights mimic thunderstorms, ceiling fans simulate ocean winds, and bursts of air from the headrests make it feel as though arrows are whizzing past the audiences’ ears.
Frances Prychidny had no interest in chasing the ultimate format. While visiting Toronto from cottage country, she and her partner originally planned to see the film in Imax 70-milimetre , but settled on an Imax digital screening at the Scotiabank Theatre after the other sold out.
“We wear hearing aids, but we didn’t bring them because we knew it was going to be loud,” she said.
“Quite frankly, I think I would have enjoyed it just as much on a regular screen.”
