Story perspectives

IMAX 70mm Odyssey sells out, Spider-Man breaks record

8/4/2026

Summary

Odyssey Booms

The Odyssey opened in IMAX 70 mm and will run through September 16.
The film earned $124.5 million its first weekend and $700 million worldwide in two weeks.
Only 34 IMAX theaters can show the 70 mm version, causing tickets to sell out and resale prices to range from $49 to $2,000.
IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond said the company added 42 projectors.
He said the next 70 mm debut is Dec. 18, noting there was nothing more they could do.

Summary

Spider-Man IMAX

Spider-Man: Brand New Day starts its U.S. IMAX run on Aug. 7, tickets on sale Tuesday.
Director Destin Daniel Cretton said the film was made for IMAX, citing specially shot sequences.
The movie opened with $360 million domestically, surpassing Avengers: Endgame’s $357 million record.
Sony kept the IMAX release secret, prompting viewers to watch the film first in standard format then premium, after the IMAX version debuted in China, Japan and South Korea.

History

Historical Context

The Dark Knight’s 2008 partial IMAX shoot—28 minutes in 94 sold-out venues—proved premium-format releases could earn hundreds of millions, a model later followed by films such as Transformers (2009) and Dunkirk (2017). Building on that legacy, IMAX’s new lighter 15/70 cameras, developed with Nolan and Jordan Peele, enabled the fully-IMAX feature The Odyssey (2026).

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Odyssey Booms

The Odyssey opened in IMAX 70 mm and will run through September 16.
The film earned $124.5 million its first weekend and $700 million worldwide in two weeks.
Only 34 IMAX theaters can show the 70 mm version, causing tickets to sell out and resale prices to range from $49 to $2,000.
IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond said the company added 42 projectors.
He said the next 70 mm debut is Dec. 18, noting there was nothing more they could do.

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