After reports of overheating during screenings of The Odyssey on one of two 70mm IMAX projectors in Texas, locals have been itching to know when they’ll be able to catch Christopher Nolan’s epic on the massive screen. However, those chances remain unclear right now — here’s what we know.
Shortly after the film premiered on July 17, one local moviegoer told MySA her showing at the AMC Rivercenter 11 — the only 70mm IMAX-equipped theater in the city and one of only two in Texas — was cut short. She saw it at 6 p.m. that Thursday and said it was only on for two minutes.
“The lights came on three times before they just cancelled the movie,” Reyes said. “The reason for that was because the projector was overheating … It took a day for the refund to hit for the tickets, but they automatically refunded us for the snacks and gave us a movie voucher. Staff was so nice about it and handled it as best as they could! Great customer service for the unexpected situation.”
Others shared her experience, claiming their tickets for other showtimes had been refunded.
When MySA first reported on the technical issues and cancelations, Rivercenter 11’s website listed all 70mm IMAX dates and showtimes as sold out until July 23. Now, checking the website reveals much of the same. As of writing, all dates and times for The Odyssey on 70mm IMAX are listed as “sold out” through Monday, July 27. After that point, no additional showtimes on any format are available. A notice says, “Sorry, no showtimes have been announced yet for this theatre. Showtimes for Friday and beyond are usually posted by Wednesday afternoon.”
Some posts on the r/sanantonio subreddit give an insight into what it’s like for people who bought their tickets way ahead of time and are hoping to see the movie in 70mm IMAX in the upcoming days. One user said they called the theater and were told they were “still waiting on the part” with no 70mm showings for Thursday and “no word about Friday and beyond.” Another commenter said their tickets for Tuesday have been refunded.
For those hoping to catch the film in IMAX, AMC Rivercenter 11, Santikos Palladium and Regal Live Oak are showing The Odyssey in the standard digital IMAX format. You can also catch it on 70mm film (not IMAX) at the Palladium or just watch it regularly at your go-to theater, although you’ll be missing out on the massive aspect ratio and picture that 70mm IMAX provides.
MySA reached out to AMC for an update on the 70mm IMAX projector on multiple occasions and has not received a response.