Nolan’s “The Odyssey” to Dominate Imax China’s 800-Screen Network

Imax China plans to program “The Odyssey,” Christopher Nolan’s new epic, on the vast majority of its almost 800-screen network during the film’s first week in mainland China. Previews are scheduled later this month in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, followed by the wide release shortly thereafter.

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Nolan’s profile in China has grown steadily, with his previous film “Oppenheimer” earning RMB452 million ($66.8 million) domestically and delivering more than 30 % of its total box office from the Imax format (RMB137 million/$20.2 million). Manwaring describes the “Nolan effect” as a “snowball” that has become “bigger than any movie star” in the country. Imax’s earlier successes in Hong Kong and Taiwan already captured over 30 % of box-office share, with receipts approaching half a million dollars in those small markets.

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• By July 24, ticketing agency Maoyan Pro recorded over 252,000 cumulative “want-to-see” registrations for “The Odyssey,” outpacing every other upcoming imported title tracked.

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• Maoyan Pro’s comparable tallies show 810,000 for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” 234,000 for “Minions & Monsters,” 203,000 for “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” 189,000 for “Toy Story 5,” and 115,000 for “Backrooms.”

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• Among domestic releases, “Kung Fu Soccer” leads with 649,000 registrations.

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• Recent Hollywood imports such as “Minions & Monsters” and “Toy Story 5” each surpassed RMB14 million ($2.1 million) in pre-sales, while “Project Hail Mary” exceeded RMB12 million ($1.8 million).

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Manwaring emphasizes that “The Odyssey” is expected to be a “first-tier city type of film,” with strongest performance likely in major markets such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen—mirroring North-American trends in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. He notes that Imax China is “firing on all cylinders” after robust pre-sales for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” and that the company is prioritizing growth in higher-tier cities while upgrading older laser systems. A red-carpet premiere for Nolan and star Matt Damon is scheduled for July 30 at the China National Film Museum in Beijing, marking the first such event for a commercial film at the government-run venue.

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• “I’m expecting a very large majority of our entire network, if not all of our network, that first week will be playing ‘The Odyssey,'” — Daniel Manwaring, CEO

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• “We haven’t seen enthusiasm for a film like this in quite some time,” — Daniel Manwaring, CEO

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• “Growth is a priority, and we do see the network growing in China,” — Daniel Manwaring, CEO

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• “A lot of people in the across the world forgot how great it is to go sit in a really dark movie theater and be immersed into a story,” — Daniel Manwaring, CEO

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