{"id":820635,"date":"2026-07-23T10:40:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T10:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/820635\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T10:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T10:40:10","slug":"only-9-canadian-cities-can-show-you-the-odyssey-as-it-was-filmed-halifax-is-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/820635\/","title":{"rendered":"Only 9 Canadian cities can show you The Odyssey as it was filmed. Halifax is one"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For 14 years, an Imax film projector sat unused at Cineplex\u2019s Scotiabank Theatre in Halifax. <\/p>\n

Then came The Odyssey. <\/p>\n

When Christopher Nolan\u2019s three-hour adaptation of Homer\u2019s epic premiered last week, the theatre booted up its dormant projector.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of only nine theatres in Canada and 41 worldwide screening the film on 70-mm Imax film \u2014 rather than the more standard digital projection used elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels almost like a once-in-a-lifetime experience,\u201d said Aaron Larter after a Tuesday afternoon screening.<\/p>\n

Larter said he used to work as a projectionist at two other theatres in Halifax, including the iconic Oxford Theatre, which closed in 2017 after eight decades<\/a>. He said something was lost when Halifax, and most theatres worldwide, pivoted to digital projection.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith film, it was a whole process. You had to put that movie together. You had to make sure that everything was just right,\u201d said Larter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of passion that went into that and you can kind of see it here. You get that feeling again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AMore than 15 kilometres of film passes through the projector during The Odyssey’s nearly three-hour runtime. (Grey Butler\/CBC)<\/p>\n

The last time the projector at the Scotiabank Theatre was used was in 2012 to project another Nolan blockbuster: The Dark Knight Rises, his third Batman picture.<\/p>\n

But The Odyssey is the first film in history to be shot entirely using 70-mm Imax film. So theatres across the world pulled out all the stops.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are very, very excited about it,\u201d said Don Mitchell, the theatre\u2019s general manager. \u201cI’ve talked to a few people already that have been here numerous times.\u201d<\/p>\n

A former film projectionist himself, Mitchell said he\u2019s spoken to people from all over North America whose cities don\u2019t offer the film format.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey couldn’t believe that there was 70 mm here in Halifax,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Caroline Edwards, a spokesperson for Cineplex, said the projector itself predates the company’s operation of the theatre, so it doesn\u2019t even know how old it is.<\/p>\n

Halifax connection<\/p>\n

The Odyssey’s star-studded cast features Oscar winners Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Lupita Nyong\u2019o, as well as stars like Tom Holland, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.<\/p>\n

Halifax-born actor Elliot Page portrays Sinon, the Greek warrior tasked with encouraging the Trojans to accept a wooden horse as a gift honouring the goddess Athena.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Page\u2019s second time in a Nolan movie, having previously appeared in his 2010 sci-fi action film Inception.<\/p>\n

The Odyssey is Nolan\u2019s followup to Oppenheimer, which won best picture and best director at the 2024 Academy Awards and grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide. In its opening weekend, The Odyssey grossed just over $264 million.<\/p>\n

Massive ticket sales for the Halifax Imax screenings prompted Cineplex to add additional 10:50 p.m. screenings on weekdays for movie buffs who are also night owls.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also extended the Imax run until at least Aug. 20.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Cineplex said while it’s filmmakers and studios that decide what format films are available in, there could be a future for 70-mm Imax in Halifax.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemand for premium formats including Imax 70 mm is growing, and we will continue offering this format in this location when it\u2019s made available to us.”<\/p>\n

The eight other theatres in Canada where you can watch\u00a0The Odyssey\u00a0on Imax 70 mm are: <\/p>\n

Calgary: Scotiabank Theatre Chinook.Edmonton: Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton.Regina: Kramer Imax, Saskatchewan Science Centre.Toronto: Cineplex Cinemas Mississauga Square One.Toronto: Cineplex Cinemas Vaughan.Vancouver: Cineplex Cinemas Langley.Richmond, B.C.: SilverCity Riverport Cinemas.Montreal: Cin\u00e9ma Banque Scotia Montreal.<\/p>\n

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