People are flying from Ireland to London to see The Odyssey ‘as Nolan intended’

Cinemagoers' obsession with The Odyssey shows no sign of slowing down.

For those not aware, the latest adaptation of the epic Greek poem by Homer is the first movie to be shot entirely on IMAX 70 mm film cameras. This format increases both the size of the camera frame and the quality of the image, allowing Nolan to capture much more detail within a shot.

While there are cinemas in Ireland capable of showing the film in IMAX and on 70 mm, none are currently able to do both.

In fact, there are only around 40 IMAX screens in the world that can screen movies using 70 mm projectors, three of which are in the United Kingdom: the BFI and Science Museum in London, and Printworks in Manchester.

Last week, The Guardian published an article with the headline: "'I don’t play around’: Nolan fans fly into London to see The Odyssey at BFI IMAX".

The piece quotes Rachana Nettem, a 26-year-old student whose visit to the BFI IMAX to see the blockbuster was "basically a pit stop” between landing in London from Ireland and embarking on a trip to Edinburgh.

The Guardian noted that Rachana also bought her tickets a year in advance, and that her love of Nolan's work originated from her watching Ghajini, the Bollywood remake of the director's breakthrough hit Memento.

Similarly, a Reddit thread asking: "How far are you travelling to go see The Odyssey in 70 mm IMAX?" received dozens of comments.

One of these read: "50min flight from Dublin (Ireland) to London to see it at BFI IMAX.

"I got my first taste of 70 mm IMAX earlier in BFI from Project Hail Mary, and I needed to make the journey for Nolan lol."

Other users echoed this sentiment, writing: "Same on the journey. 7.30 flight out for the 12.30 showing. Cannot wait," and "Same here. Flew over yesterday evening and am about to fly back. Went to the 00:01 showing and it was incredible."

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On top of this, one of JOE's own writers, Colmán Stanley, is planning a similar trip.

A writer for SportsJOE, Colmán is an avid movie lover. He had his first taste of IMAX 70 mm by seeing Project Hail Mary at London's BFI earlier this year.

The Ryan Gosling sci-fi was filmed for IMAX using digital cameras, not IMAX 70 mm cameras. That said, this footage was then transferred onto 70 mm film stock for select screenings.

Colmán said of the Project Hail Mary screening: "It’s class, like a totally different experience... one of my top five cinema experiences."

As such, he's considering going to the BFI IMAX in London again to see The Odyssey. That said, he will catch it in Dublin venue, the Lighthouse Cinema, first, so as not to miss out on enjoying the movie as soon as possible.

This is probably for the best as BFI IMAX screenings of The Odyssey are sold out until at least 10 September. The cinema promises that more September screenings will go on sale soon.

Showings of the epic at the Science Museum in London are also sold out for July, though there are tickets available for certain screenings in August.

Viewers of The Odyssey are taking to social media to point out how on regular cinema screens, Benny Safdie's character, Agamemnon, has the top of his helmet cut off. In 70 mm, meanwhile, it can be seen in full.

While Christopher Nolan has used IMAX cameras on several of his movies, this is the first time one of his films was shot entirely on IMAX.

Ahead of Oppenheimer's release in 2023, Nolan boasted the IMAX 70 mm, saying its sharpness, clarity and image depth were 'unparalleled'.

Speaking to AP, he added: "The headline, for me, is: By shooting on IMAX 70 mm film, you're really letting the screen disappear.

"You're getting a feeling of 3D without the glasses. You've got a huge screen, and you're filling the peripheral vision of the audience."

He concluded: "You're immersing them in the world of the film."

You can read JOE's own rave review for The Odyssey right here. The movie is in cinemas now.