Why Nolan's Allure? Movie Fans Drive Across Borders for 3 Days to See 'The Odyssey' — Just to Witness 70mm IMAX Film Projection in Prague

Christopher Nolan's new film 'The Odyssey' has triggered an unprecedented 'international movie tourism boom' across Europe, with tens of thousands of European film fans converging on Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, in pursuit of the ultimate visual experience.

The reason lies in the fact that currently, only 41 theaters worldwide are equipped with top-tier '70mm IMAX' (IMAX 70 mm) film projection systems, most of which are concentrated in North America. All other IMAX theaters use digital projection, converting film-shot images into digital files for playback via digital projectors.

Across the entire European continent, only three IMAX theaters capable of projecting 70mm film are located within the European Union—Prague in the Czech Republic, Montpellier in France, and Brussels in Belgium. The UK has three additional venues.

Cinema City in Prague has exceptionally increased its daily screenings from the usual two or three to four or five, even scheduling overnight midnight special screenings, to accommodate the massive influx of audiences from across Europe. Yet, nearly every screening sells out instantly.

According to official theater statistics, as of July 27, over 22,000 cross-border moviegoers from approximately 15 European countries—from Scandinavia to Spain—have made pilgrimages to Prague.

Daniel Jung from Norway drove for three days across Denmark and Germany with his two teenage sons, Felix and Leo, solely to watch the film. 'We drove for three days just to see this movie. Tomorrow, we’ll drive back.'

Leo revealed that he had been emailing Cinema City and tracking its official Instagram since six months before the film’s July 16 premiere. As soon as advance tickets went on sale, he successfully secured them. 'We’re sitting right in the middle of row 11—that’s the best seat in the house.' Leo described the long journey as 'absolutely worth it.' 'It’s truly spectacular. We’re from Norway, where the screens are much smaller. Experiencing this on such a massive scale is something I’ll remember for life.'

His brother Felix added that although they enjoyed visiting some German attractions en route, he’d still consider the trip worthwhile even if it were just a round-trip drive.

A 300-Kilogram Film, Personally Escorted

For director Christopher Nolan, 70mm IMAX film projection remains his preferred method of presentation. The Oscar-winning filmmaker has publicly called it 'the best cinematic experience available today.'

However, due to extremely high production and operational costs, films shot and projected in 70mm IMAX format are exceedingly rare. Traditional IMAX cameras are extremely heavy; for 'The Odyssey,' the production team even developed a new, noise-reduced version specifically to enable on-set sound recording.

Additionally, the physical film reels shipped to theaters weigh nearly 300 kilograms and stretch up to 18 kilometers in total length, requiring segmented delivery to projection rooms. During screenings, the film and projector must be housed in a climate-controlled dedicated room, and technicians operating the equipment must hold strict IMAX certification.

Old Equipment Becomes a Modern Treasure

Interestingly, when theaters worldwide began phasing out analog equipment and transitioning to digital IMAX systems around 2008, Cinema City in Prague chose to preserve its original analog film projector. The machine sat unused in a corner for three years until it was reactivated for Nolan’s 'The Dark Knight Rises' in 2012. Since then, it has also hosted film screenings of Nolan’s 2014 'Interstellar' and 2023’s 'Oppenheimer.'

Reflecting on that seemingly outdated decision, Prague’s projectionist Tomáš Vyšinský expressed deep gratitude to the predecessor who saved the equipment: 'We are truly grateful he kept the machine.'