With the release of Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated film The Odyssey, local cinephiles may be wondering where they can catch it in epic 70mm IMAX proportions. San Antonio has a rare theater capable of showing the movie on such a scale, but it has faced some hiccups in the past — here’s what we know. 

The 70mm IMAX screen at the AMC Rivercenter 11 has had a troubled past. Opening weekend screenings of Nolan’s last film, 2023’s Oppenheimer, were impacted by a reported lack of sound and dust showing up on the projection. Multiple showings that weekend were canceled or plagued with technical difficulties. 

However, an employee confirmed to MySA that the 70mm IMAX screen is up and running. Plus, advance tickets are available online. That’s pretty rare. According to tech blog Engadget, there are only 30 theaters with 70mm IMAX capabilities in the U.S. and Canada, and only six others worldwide. 

So, what’s the big deal? Standard IMAX screenings rely on digital or laser projections, while 70mm IMAX is projected on physical film, garnering extreme clarity. 70mm IMAX proportions are nearly square and are considered to be the highest-resolution film format you can watch.

However, it owes its rarity to how expensive it is to film with and how difficult projectors are to maintain, as well as other logistical issues. Oppenheimer film reels weighed about 600 pounds and 11 miles long, the director told The Associated Press. The Odyssey is making history in its own way as the first feature-length film to be shot entirely in the IMAX format. 

“For me, it’s been my long-held dream I’ve been nursing since I was about 16 years old to do an entire film on IMAX,” Nolan said in a teaser. “The thing that was stopping us was always the sound.” These cameras are notoriously loud, so the filmmakers had to build custom housing they call “the blimp” to mask the noise, which allowed them to shoot close-up dialogue shots. 

“The blimp system is a game-changer,” Nolan previously said. “You can be shooting a foot from [an actor’s] face while they’re whispering and get usable sound. What that opens up are intimate moments of performance on the world’s most beautiful format.”

Find it: 849 E. Commerce St., Suite 800, San Antonio, TX 78205