The Odyssey has shattered records at the BFI IMAX, drawing fans from as far as Singapore, Los Angeles, and Toronto to experience the film in the 70mm format intended by director Christopher Nolan. The cinema, located near Waterloo Station and the Southbank, has sold 82,000 tickets, grossing £2,169,882. All 173 showings are sold out until September 10, with additional screenings expected to be announced.
Record-Breaking Box Office
The Odyssey outperformed previous BFI IMAX opening weekend records, surpassing Star Wars: The Last Jedi (£216,454) and Nolan's own Oppenheimer (£207,677). It also beat the presale record held by Dune: Part Two (£366,000 in 24 hours), selling 28,000 tickets in its first day and generating £750,000 in gross revenue.
Global Demand for 70mm
BFI IMAX is one of only 41 cinemas worldwide showing the film in Imax 70mm, a format Nolan champions. Madeleine Mullett, BFI Imax programme manager, said: "As the only cinema in the UK to hold a complete archive of Christopher Nolan's Imax 70mm filmography, now including The Odyssey, we are proud to be the home of Christopher Nolan on film. The extraordinary demand for our Imax 70mm presentation of The Odyssey is ultimate proof of the appetite audiences have for cinema at its most authentic."
The Film and Its Stars
The Odyssey adapts Homer's ancient Greek epic, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus. It is the first feature film shot entirely with Imax film cameras. The cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron.
World Premiere at BFI IMAX
At the world premiere, Christopher Nolan said: "This is a very special venue for us, it was in this very venue that I met the person to whom the film is dedicated, my friend and Imax mentor, David Keighley. I wish he were with us here tonight, but I know he'd be very proud of us and very proud of the work that Patricia and her whole team has done finishing the film."
Upcoming Screenings
New dates for The Odyssey at BFI IMAX will be announced soon. Fans can stay updated via the BFI website.
