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Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Homer's epic, "The Odyssey," marks a first in cinema technology as the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX 70mm cameras.
The format the director intended, however, is available in only 41 theaters worldwide, placing the film's release at the center of a debate over accessibility.
Technology outlet TechRadar reported that the limited rollout drew heavy criticism on social media, while entertainment publication Variety detailed IMAX's explanation for why more theaters cannot offer screenings in the format.
According to reports, only 25 theaters in the United States and three in the United Kingdom are equipped to show the film in true IMAX 70mm.
Demand has been high enough that many screenings sold out weeks in advance. At the BFI IMAX in London, for example, tickets for the next available 70mm screening are not available again until late August.
The debate centers on the small number of cinemas able to show the film as the director intended.
Some social media users described shooting a film in a format that can only be fully projected in around 40 theaters worldwide as working against accessibility in cinema, while others said the limitation makes the moviegoing experience more exclusive.
Comments circulating online argued that access to cinemas is already difficult for many people and questioned whether making it more exclusive would help.
Following the criticism, attention turned to IMAX, whose chief executive, Richard Gelfond, addressed the issue in comments to Variety, saying that expanding the number of IMAX 70mm theaters is not as simple as it may appear.
Gelfond said demand is extremely high, adding that no new IMAX film projector has been manufactured in roughly 50 years and that the company instead refurbishes and rebuilds existing units.
He said IMAX would like to increase that number in line with demand, but that technical limitations remain a barrier.
IMAX sources told Variety that many of the components used to build the projectors are no longer produced and that the original design files created roughly half a century ago are incomplete.
The sources added that the shift toward digital projection largely ended production of film projectors and the supply of spare parts, making it impractical to manufacture the systems from scratch today.
The company undertook an extensive effort to preserve the format following the release of Oppenheimer, according to the report. IMAX collected unused or malfunctioning older projectors from various parts of the world and restored them for use, while training about 60 new projectionists.
Through this process, the number of IMAX 70mm theaters rose from 30 during the “Oppenheimer” period to 41 for "The Odyssey."
IMAX said the challenges extend beyond the projectors themselves. Few theater operators build new auditoriums with the large-format 1.43:1 IMAX screens due to high construction costs, the company said, meaning that even with more projectors, the number of suitable venues remains limited.
Separately, footage circulating on social media showing an IMAX projector being moved into the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles prompted claims that new projectors were being manufactured.
TechRadar reported that it is far more likely that the unit in the footage is an older projector newly installed at that particular theater rather than a newly produced one.
"The Odyssey" runs approximately 172 minutes, and its IMAX 70mm print reportedly uses about 2.1 million feet of film and weighs around 384 kilograms, factors that necessitate specialized infrastructure for transport and screening.
IMAX said it hopes to see more 70mm theaters in the future but noted that expansion depends on investment from theater operators as well as continued interest from directors willing to shoot in the format.
The company said growing interest from directors, including Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve, in analog IMAX technology has given the format renewed momentum in recent years.
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