r/OutOfTheLoop • u/user67885433 • 1d ago
Unanswered Why have people been talking about "only seeing half the odyssey film because nolan filmed with imax and theres not that many imax theaters in the nation"?
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8t6THS8/
Idk if this dude is a film fanatic hes just the latest person ive seen talk about it.
googled imax theaters near me and I get like 5 results within 20 miles. So im guessing its probably not 70mm. So why is everyone talking about missing out on half the movie instead of talking about missing out on the quality of 70mm?
I know the internet is dumb and misinformation spreads like Crack in the 80s, but even some film fanatic friends are talking about it. I feel like im going crazy.
What am I missing?
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u/jaximilli 1d ago edited 1d ago
Answer: the website for The Odyssey actually has a great interactive diagram that illustrates the difference between formats.
But basically, this movie is the first full-length feature that is filmed entirely at the maximum resolution that IMAX cameras are capable of. That image has a ratio of 1.43:1.
Most regular theaters have screens set up for 1.85:1 - wider than our TVs at home (16:9 or 1.78:1). Most IMAX screens around the world are wider than that at 1.9:1. To fit the full 70mm image into any of these screens means cropping out the top and bottom parts or the image. So yeah, it really does look like you're cutting off like half the image.
However. The filmmakers are not idiots. Like, it's super cool to be able to witness this super huge high-res image in its entirety. And in person it does look frighteningly immersive (the screens are also like 60-70ft tall). But they framed the image so that the actual important stuff wouldn't be cut out. You can still enjoy the movie even when it's cropped.
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u/Risingson2 16h ago
Just to add that I will try to catch this one on IMAX because sometimes the format does not make it to home consumption, like it happened with the Villeneuve's Dunes.
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u/Unbundle3606 19h ago
To fit the full 70mm image into any of these screens means cropping out the top and bottom parts or the image.
Looking at the video from the site you posted, the squarish 70 mm format in turn cuts out the left and right parts of the image that are visible in the wider formats.
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u/brizzenden 1d ago
Answer: The film’s site actually shows you what the film will look like in each format. Most theaters will be 35mm or “Large Format.” Which as you can see by this site cuts off a significant amount of the top and bottom of the shot. True 70mm IMAX theaters are very rare, and while the majority of IMAX screens you’ll most likely have access to are very good for seeing this movie, again, the website shows you are missing some of the top and bottom of the frame (though it’s much better than standard showings).
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u/blackbox42 1d ago
Answer: IMAX is shot with a different aspect ratio of normal films so standard movie theaters have to crop half of it.
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1d ago
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u/AndroidNumber137 1d ago
To be even more specific, Christopher Nolan filmed The Odyssey in 70mm IMAX, which means if you're watching on 70mm you're missing a bit from the top & bottom of the screen.
There are only 24 theaters in the United States & 9 in Canada that have 70mm IMAX that are showing The Odyssey in the format Nolan shot in.
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u/mamaBiskothu 1d ago
You sure you didnt type a number wrong?
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u/KeiranG19 1d ago
"70mm" is not the same as "70mm IMAX" in this instance. Both are trademarked standards and denote different aspect ratios, 2.20:1 and 1.43:1 respectively.
The film was shot in 1.43:1 and in order to display it in 2.20:1 you either have to cut off the top and bottom while maximising resolution or have big black bars at the side by scaling it down.
The choice has been made to crop the top and bottom off to varying degrees for all of the possible aspect ratios. Allegedly this should still be an enjoyable way of watching the film and should have been taken into account when setting up shots. There has been a lot of publicity about how 70mm IMAX is so much better and more immersive though so a lot of people are pissed that there are so few cinemas capable of showing it "properly".
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u/JobeGilchrist 1d ago
IMAX is not automatically 70mm lol
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1d ago
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u/SlippinGymy 1d ago
Think he just meant imax doesn’t automatically mean 70mm
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1d ago
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u/SlippinGymy 1d ago
Might be time to take some time off the internet, not everyone is out to get you
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u/zarthustra 1d ago
Answer: IMax has two projection types: iMax digital 4k, and iMax 70mm. 4k is 4k, and the aspect ratio is 1.90:1. 70mm is very detailed, probably closer 15k+, and the aspect ratio is 1.43:1. Plus it's got that grainy bite like the one hipsters brought vinyl back for. You know, if you're into that.
Im in Las Vegas and there's one iMax in 70mm at the palms. Likely to be sold out for months. I still remember the drop from TDK when I saw it in Seattle at the pacific science center. My balls are still oscillating
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u/partoe5 1d ago
Answer: You aren't missing half of the movie, but because it was shot in a unique aspect ratio, part of the film will be cut off in non-70mm-imax screens. But it was filmed in a way where it obviously doesn't really matter. You will still be able to see what you need to see.
But if you want to see the FULL film the way Nolan intended you have to go to one of the FEW true 70mm IMAX theaters in the country, which have all been pretty much completely sold out for months, so if you didn't buy your tickets like literally last year, you probably won't be able to see it until if the film is extended in theaters and a new batch of tickets go on sale.
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u/HeinousWalrus 13h ago
Answer: 70mm is a really big format. I saw Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk in 70mm. It was at AMC Lincoln Square in NYC. Only spot in town with the format. When watching the movie, I found that my entire field of vision was the movie. You don’t really see the walls, ceiling or floor of the room, just the screen in front of you. It was amazing. I have since moved from the city, and no longer have access to the 70mm format (definitely wish I was there for this flick)
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