610 Kilometers of Film vs. AI: Why You Need to See Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ in IMAX
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ – shot entirely on IMAX film stock across 610 kilometers of celluloid – is both the most technically ambitious blockbuster in years and one of cinema’s loudest statements against generative AI.
On Friday, July 17, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey opens in cinemas – the most expensive film of his career (250 million dollars) and the first feature-length blockbuster ever shot entirely on IMAX film cameras. And today, four days before the premiere, Euronews published an interview in which Nolan talks about generative AI in terms that deserve serious attention on a blog about artificial intelligence. Because The Odyssey is not just Homer for a quarter of a billion dollars. It is one of the loudest cinematic gestures toward AI in recent years – forged not in tweets, but in 610 kilometers of celluloid.
Why a blog about AI is writing about a film
Because The Odyssey stands on the opposite side of a dispute that has been playing out across the entire AI industry for months. While OpenAI is rolling out new versions of generative video and studios are suing model makers over copyright, Nolan is doing the opposite: returning to the most physical, analog, and unscalable way of making images that exists. And he argues that this is exactly what audiences want – especially the youngest ones.
“So much energy has been expended on bringing in AI, but if you look at that generation’s reaction, they’re utterly rejecting it” – Christopher Nolan on Generation Z, interview with The Telegraph cited by Euronews, 13.07.2026.
Of his own children he says that their “judgment of AI slop is immediate and harsh,” because they grew up on the internet and can spot synthetic mush at a glance. He adds a line that reads like the motto of the entire production: “After years of pushing into very virtual environments, we’re seeing a renewed interest in more tactile, more real forms of storytelling.”
The camera that did not exist
To shoot an entire film in IMAX, Nolan needed equipment that did not exist. Previous IMAX cameras were so loud they were suited mainly to action sequences – dialogue was either dubbed in post or shot in other formats. For The Odyssey, IMAX therefore built a new camera called the Keighley: quieter, more efficient, and for the first time in the format’s history equipped with a digital LCD screen showing the operator temperature, voltage, and remaining film time.
The scale of the undertaking is absurd in the best sense. 70 mm film with 15 perforations per frame moves through the camera at 5.6 feet per second – 360 perforations every second of shooting. For dialogue scenes the cameras were housed in sound-dampening blimp enclosures weighing over 140 kilograms. Tom Holland said they helped “enormously.” Anne Hathaway, with characteristic candor: the camera “is still loud.”
“That’s the highest quality imaging format that’s ever been devised. There’s nothing that competes with it” – Christopher Nolan on CBS “60 Minutes”.
Over 91 shooting days – from Morocco through Greece, Sicily, Iceland, and Scotland to Malta – the crew exposed more than 2 million feet of IMAX film stock, roughly 610 kilometers. The negative was developed at FotoKem laboratory in Burbank, and according to CBS the image from IMAX film carries up to three times more information than digital camera footage. The cast includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Zendaya as Athena, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, and Charlize Theron as the nymph Calypso. The runtime is nearly three hours.
Tickets selling like a Taylor Swift tour
A year ago, on July 17, 2025, advance ticket sales opened for IMAX 70 mm screenings – exactly 365 days before the premiere, which was itself unprecedented. The result? According to Wirtualna Polska, 95 percent of seats were gone within the first hour, and tickets were being resold for 200 dollars. Online queues were compared to Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” and IMDb ranked The Odyssey as the most anticipated film of 2026.
Anticipation was further stoked by the trailer: the first teaser earned 121.4 million views in 24 hours – more than double Oppenheimer (50 million) and the best result Universal had in all of 2025. Notably, TikTok captured the largest share of views (27 percent) – the platform of the generation that, according to Nolan, “rejects AI slop,” queuing up for the most analog film of the decade.
Not all IMAX is equal – what to choose in Poland
Here is the practical part, because “IMAX” is in practice three different experiences:
| Format | What it technically is | Aspect ratio | Where for The Odyssey |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMAX 70 mm (film) | Projection from physical film stock; frame 69.6 x 48.5 mm, estimated at approximately 12,000 lines of resolution | 1.43:1 (nearly square, fills the entire field of view) | approx. 45 cinemas worldwide; closest to Poland: Prague, then London, Manchester, Brussels |
| IMAX with Laser | Two 4K laser projectors, capable of displaying the full 1.43:1 ratio | 1.43:1 or 1.90:1 | in Poland only at Cinema City Manufaktura (Lodz) and Zakopianka (Krakow) |
| Digital IMAX | Classic dual 2K projector system (perceived sharpness approx. 2.9K) | 1.90:1 | Cinema City: Sadyba (Warsaw), Poznan Plaza, Punkt 44 (Katowice), Wroclavia (Wroclaw) |
The conclusions for Polish viewers are brutally simple. First: you will not see a 70 mm film print screening in Poland – no cinema in the country has such a projector; the nearest one is in Prague. Second: if you want the closest experience to Nolan’s vision available in Poland, the best options are IMAX with Laser in Lodz (Manufaktura) or Krakow (Zakopianka) – only these two venues will show more of the image than a standard screen. The Warsaw IMAX at Sadyba is a solid digital IMAX: still a huge screen with powerful sound, but without the full 1.43:1 frame. Third: The Odyssey is also playing in Poland in 4DX and standard laser auditoriums, but the recommendation is clear – this film was made for a large format, and opening-weekend tickets are disappearing fast.
Nolan vs. AI: from the “Oppenheimer moment” to “AI slop”
Nolan’s stance on artificial intelligence did not come from nowhere. Back in July 2023, at a panel following a screening of Oppenheimer, he said: “When I talk to the leading AI researchers, they literally describe it – right now – as their Oppenheimer moment.” He also raised a scenario that still reads as a warning: AI systems will be integrated into defense infrastructure, including nuclear weapons – “a terrifying possibility.” His prescription then and now is the same: “We have to hold people accountable for what they do with the tools they have.”
Those remarks came in the middle of the dual Hollywood strike – the WGA writers’ strike and the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike – in which banning the use of AI to write or rewrite scripts was one of the central demands. Three years later the context is even more charged: in June 2025 Disney, NBCUniversal, and DreamWorks sued Midjourney, calling the generator in the lawsuit “a bottomless pit of plagiarism,” and the AI-generated “actress” Tilly Norwood prompted an official SAG-AFTRA statement that the union “does not consider her an actress,” along with a wave of opposition from stars ranging from Emily Blunt to Natasha Lyonne.
Against this backdrop, The Odyssey is not a nostalgic whim but a bet on the future: that in a world where any image can be synthetic, the greatest value belongs to images that cannot be synthetic. That is a paradox worth remembering: the cheaper and more ubiquitous generative AI becomes, the more the market prizes what cannot be counterfeited.
Verdict: how to see it
If you have access to Lodz or Krakow, aim for IMAX with Laser – that is the closest to Nolan’s full vision available in Poland. In Warsaw, Poznan, Katowice, and Wroclaw, digital IMAX still beats a standard auditorium by a wide margin. And if you are planning a trip to Prague, London, or Brussels, a 70 mm film screening is one of the last chances to see what the pinnacle of analog imaging technology looks like before the story of it is taken over by museums. Homer waited nearly three thousand years for this film. You only have to hold out until Friday.
All figures, dates, and quotes in this article were verified on 13.07.2026 against the linked sources.
Reader questions
Is it worth seeing Nolan’s Odyssey in IMAX instead of a regular cinema?
Yes, the difference is significant. The film was shot entirely on IMAX film cameras on 70 mm stock, so an IMAX projection shows more of the image and higher quality than a standard cinema. In Poland the best options are IMAX with Laser at Cinema City Manufaktura in Lodz or Zakopianka in Krakow – only these venues will display the full 1.43:1 frame, filling nearly the entire field of view. Standard digital IMAX (e.g., Warsaw Sadyba) still offers a large screen and powerful sound, but without the full frame format.
What is the best screening format for Nolan’s Odyssey in Poland?
The best format available in Poland is IMAX with Laser – Cinema City Manufaktura in Lodz and Zakopianka in Krakow. You will not see screenings from the original 70 mm film stock in Poland, as no Polish cinema has the necessary projector – the nearest one is in Prague. Standard digital IMAX (2K, 1.90:1 aspect ratio) is available in several cities and is still better than a regular cinema, but it is not the same as Laser.
How does IMAX 70 mm differ from digital IMAX for The Odyssey?
IMAX 70 mm is a projection from physical film stock with an estimated resolution of approximately 12,000 lines and an aspect ratio of 1.43:1 – the image carries up to three times more information than digital footage according to CBS. Digital IMAX uses 2K projectors and displays the image at 1.90:1, meaning black bars appear where the film stock shows the full frame. The difference is visible to the naked eye, especially in a film shot specifically for this format.
Where can you see Nolan’s Odyssey in IMAX in Poland?
Poland has no cinema with an IMAX 70 mm film projector – the nearest one is in Prague. The best available option is IMAX with Laser: Cinema City Manufaktura in Lodz and Zakopianka in Krakow – only these venues will display the full 1.43:1 format closest to Nolan’s vision. Digital IMAX (dual 2K projectors) is available in Warsaw (Sadyba), Poznan, Katowice, and Wroclaw – a large screen and good sound, but without the full frame.
How does IMAX 70 mm differ from regular IMAX?
IMAX 70 mm is a projection from physical film stock with a frame measuring 69.6 x 48.5 mm, yielding an estimated 12,000 lines of resolution and an aspect ratio of 1.43:1 – a nearly square image filling the entire field of view. Standard digital IMAX uses 2K projectors (perceived sharpness approx. 2.9K) and a narrower 1.90:1 ratio. In between is IMAX with Laser – dual 4K projectors capable of displaying the full 1.43:1 ratio, available in Poland in Lodz and Krakow.
Why was Nolan’s Odyssey shot on IMAX film rather than digitally?
Nolan deliberately chose the most analog format as a counterpoint to the expansion of generative AI in film. According to him, the younger generation instantly recognizes and rejects synthetic digital content, and audiences are seeking more tactile, real forms of storytelling. IMAX film stock carries up to three times more information than digital footage. A new, quieter IMAX camera called the Keighley was even built for the film, because no existing camera was suitable for shooting dialogue scenes.
When does Nolan’s Odyssey open in cinemas?
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey opens in cinemas on July 17, 2026. The film runs for nearly three hours. The cast includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Zendaya as Athena, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, and Charlize Theron as the nymph Calypso.
What is IMAX 70 mm and how does it differ from regular IMAX?
IMAX 70 mm is a projection from physical film stock with a frame measuring 69.6 x 48.5 mm, yielding an estimated 12,000 lines of resolution – according to CBS, three times more information than digital cameras. The aspect ratio is 1.43:1, filling nearly the entire field of view. Standard digital IMAX uses 2K projectors and displays the image at 1.90:1. The Odyssey can be seen on film stock at only approximately 45 cinemas worldwide, including Prague and London.
Why is Nolan’s Odyssey technically unique?
The Odyssey is the first feature-length blockbuster shot entirely on IMAX cameras using physical film stock. For the production, IMAX created a new, quieter camera called the Keighley, because the existing equipment was too loud for dialogue scenes. Over 91 shooting days the crew exposed more than 2 million feet of film stock – approximately 610 kilometers. Filming took place in Morocco, Greece, Sicily, Iceland, Scotland, and Malta.
How does an IMAX camera differ from a regular film camera?
An IMAX camera uses 70 mm film with 15 perforations per frame, and the image moves horizontally through the camera at 5.6 feet per second. This produces a frame measuring 69.6 x 48.5 mm – many times larger than in a standard cinema. The result is an aspect ratio of 1.43:1 (nearly square), filling almost the entire viewer’s field of vision. According to CBS, the image from IMAX film stock carries up to three times more information than digital camera footage. Traditional IMAX cameras were, however, very loud, which limited their use to action sequences.
Where in Poland can you see a film in true IMAX?
Poland has two types of IMAX auditoriums. IMAX with Laser – the closest to the original format – is available at Cinema City Manufaktura in Lodz and Cinema City Zakopianka in Krakow. These are the only Polish venues displaying the full 1.43:1 ratio. Digital IMAX (dual 2K projectors) is available in Warsaw (Sadyba), Poznan, Katowice, and Wroclaw. You cannot see a 70 mm film print screening in Poland – the nearest projector is in Prague.
Does an IMAX camera record digitally or on film?
Classic IMAX cameras record on physical 70 mm film stock – an analog format, not digital. For Nolan’s The Odyssey, IMAX built a new camera called the Keighley, which is the first in the format’s history to be equipped with a digital LCD screen showing the operator temperature, voltage, and remaining film time. The image itself is still recorded on film – once shooting is complete, the exposed negative must be developed in a laboratory. In this case it was developed at FotoKem laboratory in Burbank, California.
When does The Odyssey by Nolan premiere?
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey opens in cinemas on July 17, 2026. Advance ticket sales for IMAX 70 mm screenings opened a year earlier – on July 17, 2025 – and reportedly 95 percent of seats were gone within the first hour. The film runs for nearly three hours.
Cast of Nolan’s Odyssey – who plays Odysseus?
Matt Damon plays Odysseus. Tom Holland plays Telemachus, Anne Hathaway plays Penelope, Zendaya plays Athena, Robert Pattinson plays Antinous, and Charlize Theron plays the nymph Calypso. The film is an adaptation of Homer and cost 250 million dollars, making it the most expensive production of Nolan’s career.
What camera was used to film Nolan’s Odyssey?
Nolan’s The Odyssey is the first feature-length film shot entirely on IMAX cameras using 70 mm film with 15 perforations per frame. For the production, IMAX built a new camera called the Keighley – quieter than previous models and equipped with a digital LCD screen. For dialogue scenes the cameras were housed in sound-dampening enclosures weighing over 140 kilograms. Over 91 shooting days the crew exposed more than 2 million feet of film stock – approximately 610 kilometers of celluloid.
Can you see Nolan’s Odyssey in IMAX in Poland?
You cannot see screenings from 70 mm film stock in Poland – no cinema in the country has such a projector; the nearest one is in Prague. The best available options are IMAX with Laser at Cinema City Manufaktura in Lodz and Zakopianka in Krakow – only these venues display the full 1.43:1 frame closest to Nolan’s vision. Digital IMAX is available in Warsaw, Poznan, Katowice, and Wroclaw, but without the full image format.
Is it worth seeing Nolan’s Odyssey in IMAX?
Yes, but the choice of venue matters. The film was shot entirely on IMAX cameras on 70 mm film stock, which means an image in a 1.43:1 ratio – nearly square, filling the entire field of view. In Poland you cannot see the 70 mm film print at any cinema, but the closest experience to the original is IMAX with Laser in Lodz (Manufaktura) or Krakow (Zakopianka). Standard digital IMAX, for example in Warsaw at Sadyba, still offers a large screen and good sound, but without the full 1.43:1 frame.
How does IMAX 70 mm differ from digital IMAX and does it make a difference?
The difference is significant. IMAX 70 mm film stock carries an estimated 12,000 lines of resolution and – according to CBS – up to three times more information than digital footage. Digital IMAX uses 2K projectors, while IMAX with Laser uses 4K projectors. In Poland only digital versions are available. The only 70 mm venue close to Poland is Prague. For viewers in Poland the best available choice remains IMAX with Laser in Lodz or Krakow.
Where to buy tickets for The Odyssey in IMAX and how much do they cost?
Tickets are available through standard advance sales at Cinema City locations that have IMAX auditoriums in Poland. The article does not give current ticket prices in PLN – it is best to check directly on the cinema’s website. It is worth booking early: at the premiere of Oppenheimer and during the first advance sales for The Odyssey, IMAX seats sold out very quickly, and resale tickets reached many times the face value.
