{"id":2505867,"date":"2026-07-17T10:35:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2505867"},"modified":"2026-07-17T10:35:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:35:56","slug":"for-odyssey-in-70mm-theaters-raced-to-resurrect-a-nearly-lost-craft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/for-odyssey-in-70mm-theaters-raced-to-resurrect-a-nearly-lost-craft\/","title":{"rendered":"For ‘Odyssey’ in 70mm, theaters raced to resurrect a nearly lost craft"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One year ago, when tickets first went on sale<\/u><\/a> for \u201cThe Odyssey<\/a>\u201d in Imax 70mm, nearly every screening sold out instantly.<\/p>\n

The unprecedented ticket mayhem built hype \u2014 not just for the film, but for the format. By the time a second round of tickets were made available last month, buyers swarmed with such frenzy that they crashed the AMC Theatres app<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Los Angeles, home base for cinephiles of every stripe, scoring one of these coveted opening weekend tickets was particularly challenging. Much of the excitement revolved around the fact that \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d was the first feature shot entirely on Imax 70mm film, a technical achievement that involved the invention of a new camera. <\/p>\n

For 28-year-old Van Nuys resident Chase Stanley, who tried and failed to secure a ticket, that milestone was top of mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, I\u2019m just jealous that I\u2019m not included,\u201d he said. \u201cSince it\u2019s the first movie to capture the whole thing in 70mm Imax, it\u2019s my due diligence to see it like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jimmy Gonzales is Cepheus, left, Matt Damon is Odysseus and Himesh Patel is Eurylochus in \u201cThe Odyssey.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Melinda Sue Gordon \/ Universal Pictures)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Despite the enthusiasm from moviegoers, film projection has been considered a dying art<\/u><\/a> since most movie theaters worldwide switched to digital projection in the early 2010s.<\/p>\n

More than a marketing tactic, the scarcity of tickets for Imax 70mm screenings underscored both the dearth of theaters capable of projecting films in the premium large format \u2014 only 41 \u2014 and projectionists with the requisite skills.<\/p>\n

A number of renowned directors, including \u201cThe Odyssey\u2019s\u201d Christopher Nolan<\/u><\/a>, prefer to shoot on film and strongly encourage analog viewing. But because few theaters own the necessary equipment or employ full-time projectionists, coordinating a release as massive as \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d is its own arduous journey.<\/p>\n

Venues new and old<\/h2>\n

There are 25 theaters in the United States showing \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d in Imax 70mm, eight of which are located in California. One of L.A.\u2019s favorites<\/u><\/a> is the Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk Hollywood, where veteran Imax projectionist Taylor Umphenour has worked for the last three years.<\/p>\n

On his Instagram page<\/a>, Umphenour shares \u201cprojectionist POV\u201d photos and videos with more than 22,000 followers, giving them a unique glimpse into the projection booth for movies like \u201cSinners,\u201d \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d and \u201cProject Hail Mary.\u201d His company, Film Leader Co., supervises film restorations and runs technical operations for a smattering of cinema houses across the country.<\/p>\n

In addition to his work at CityWalk, Umphenour has been busy for weeks overhauling the projection setup at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale.<\/p>\n

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Releases such as \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d have renewed interest in film projectionists and specialty theaters, including the historic Alex Theatre.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

The 100-year-old venue opened in 1925 as a vaudeville and silent movie house where Walt Disney previewed his animated shorts, but it changed identities many times over the course of its history. Now, Umphenour and his team are working with Miles Williams, the theater\u2019s artistic director, to transform it into a \u201cpremier cinema house\u201d in time for \u201cThe Odyssey\u2019s\u201d release. It marks the first time the theater has been used for a first-run film release since \u201cTerminator 2: Judgment Day\u201d in 1991.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat better opportunity to relaunch this venue than to open with Christopher Nolan\u2019s \u2018The Odyssey\u2019? That\u2019s why this project is on such a tight turn,\u201d Umphenour said.<\/p>\n

His team built an entirely new, massive booth in just three weeks to house sound equipment and projectors capable of running both 35mm and 70mm film. To secure the Alex a last-minute 70mm print of \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d \u2014 which costs tens of thousands of dollars to manufacture, ship and distribute and runs about four miles long \u2014 Umphenour relied on his relationship with distribution executives at Universal.<\/p>\n

The Alex will screen the movie in 70mm, which uses the same film stock as Imax 70mm but runs vertically instead of horizontally, making each physical frame roughly three times smaller than its Imax counterpart. Audiences seeking the larger-than-life Imax experience will have to look elsewhere \u2014 like CityWalk \u2014 but Umphenour believes that analog screenings will still draw a crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s special about these \u2014 about running on film, about running 70mm, about handling premium large formats \u2014 is that it does remind people how much they love going to the movies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat it\u2019s all about is expanding that sense of scope and horizon, the analog color, that sense of immersion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not a job for \u2018popcorn projectionists\u2019<\/h2>\n

In advance of \u201cThe Odyssey\u2019s\u201d release, Imax contracted 130 experienced projectionists and required each to attend an intensive, weeklong training program. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve said for years that the projectionist is the last performer in a long chain of people that started with an idea,\u201d Umphenour said. \u201cThey are the final person to deliver the vision of the filmmakers to the audience, and therefore, one of the most crucial.\u201d Far from simply pressing a button, film projectionists must actively guide a screening, threading and splicing reels and closely monitoring for mechanical issues.<\/p>\n

But thanks in large part to the dwindling number of theaters projecting analog film since 2013, finding capable, actively working projectionists for releases like \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d can be a struggle.<\/p>\n

Sean McKinnon, director of specialty presentations and AV integration at Boston Light and Sound, is in charge of hiring these projectionists for about 60 venues across the country screening \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d in 70mm. He did the same for \u201cOppenheimer\u201d in 2023, which had the longest theatrical window of the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pretty challenging finding people for \u2018Oppenheimer,\u2019 especially because the film was so amazing, it was in theaters for so long,\u201d he said of the 122-day release. Staffing projectionists for \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d has been \u201cdefinitely easier,\u201d he said, as the \u201cword has gotten out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The talent pool McKinnon pulls from includes theater managers, retired projectionists, trainees from specialized college programs and even workers in other professions who take PTO for the occasion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get people from really all walks of life,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a special event and people want to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"A <\/picture>\n
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Taylor Umphenour checks the projector\u2019s focus at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Outside of big cities, the lack of local projectionists also means McKinnon\u2019s company has to fly people to Morrow, Ga., or Valley View, Ohio, for instance, to run the booth for the duration of a film\u2019s run.<\/p>\n

Leah Saint Marie, a filmmaker and former projectionist at the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz, attributed the staffing struggle to the experience and knowledge divide between hobbyists and experts. <\/p>\n

\u201cTraining is pretty easy if you want to be what they call a \u2018popcorn projectionist,\u2019\u201d she said. They \u201ccan thread the movie and push start, but if there are any mechanical issues, they can\u2019t fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think anybody who\u2019s going to run a 70mm Imax are popcorn projectionists, because it\u2019s very technical,\u201d she added. Each Imax film print of \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d is 11 miles long and weighs roughly 600 pounds.<\/p>\n

The most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated<\/a> that in 2023, there were 2,610 motion picture projectionists employed in the U.S. \u2014 an increase from 1,900 in 2022. In 2012, the BLS estimated roughly 8,000 projectionists and predicted the number would decline by 26.5% in the next 10 years \u2014 but it ultimately decreased by 76%. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to maintain expertise in the field, what you want are enough [movie] theaters out there running film that somebody can try their hand at it and get better,\u201d Umphenour said. <\/p>\n

Why film matters<\/h2>\n

Could the overwhelming audience demand for Imax 70mm screenings translate into a resurgence of fully equipped theaters? According to Imax Chief Executive Richard Gelfond, it\u2019s more complicated than that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is they haven\u2019t made new Imax film projectors in about 50 years,\u201d Gelfond told Variety <\/a>on Wednesday. \u201cWe build new projectors every day, but film projectors, using this film, it\u2019s not practical. So we\u2019ve got to find them and retrofit them and rebuild them, which is what we did for \u2018Odyssey.\u2019 But can all 2,000 of our theaters be film projectors? No. There\u2019s just not that many around.\u201d<\/p>\n

That said, Cinemark reportedly installed Imax 70mm projectors at three of its theaters ahead of \u201cThe Odyssey\u2019s\u201d release, and there are 11 more theaters projecting \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d in Imax 70mm than there were for \u201cOppenheimer.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"A <\/picture>\n
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Cinema engineer Justin Dennis is working with projectionist and production manager Taylor Umphenour to build a new projection booth capable of running both 35mm and 70mm film at the Alex Theatre.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Saint Marie recalled working as a projectionist in Pennsylvania during the period when most theaters transitioned from film to digital. While training at a new theater, she was surprised to find an old film projector still stored in the booth, and even more surprised to learn it was for Nolan\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he releases a [movie] on film, we have to have the projector. A lot of places around the United States kept their projectors specifically for Nolan,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Nolan isn\u2019t the only director with an affinity for large format film and analog media. Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler (whose 2025 hit \u201cSinners\u201d made quite a splash in Imax 70mm<\/u><\/a>) are others associated with what Umphenour dubbed \u201cthe 70mm renaissance.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Saint Marie, theaters worldwide transitioned from film to digital projection mainly because the cost of shipping a Digital Cinema Package is much cheaper than shipping a film release print. But the community of skilled laborers and enthusiastic audiences who champion analog projection say it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s something to be said about what film gives you as an artistic community, versus what digital gives you is just consuming as a capitalistic society,\u201d Saint Marie said. To McKinnon, it comes down to the \u201ctradition of humans telling a story by flickering light\u201d harking back to prehistoric times.<\/p>\n

For Umphenour, the story of \u201cThe Odyssey\u2019s\u201d release and all of the 70mm fanfare is one of preservationists triumphing over countless obstacles. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are 70mm theaters running this film throughout the world that, frankly, have been kept alive through the deep devotion of people who care about this format,\u201d Umphenour said. \u201cThey really do deserve to be celebrated because, like so many things in life, if you don\u2019t have people that care about it, you don\u2019t end up with a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe results of all this work are not images projected on screen,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt\u2019s a community brought together to hear a story well told, which allows them to create a life memory they get to carry forward for years and years.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Film projection takes center stage at the Alex Theatre.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n