The enormous reel runs more than 17km, weighs 240kg, and is, as Imax Melbourne's technical manager Dan Drobik says, “a precious commodity”.
“We are only one of 41 cinemas across the globe [where] you can see it in the way that Nolan created the film,” says Jeremy Fee, Imax Melbourne general manager.
The venue stands out not just for its projection technology but also for its sheer physical scale on the global stage.
“There's only seven outside of North America in the entire world, so people do seek out that really special experience.
They can't really see this anywhere else,” says Jeremy Fee, Imax Melbourne general manager.
The visual spectacle has turned international film premieres into significant travel events for dedicated cinephiles.
“We're seeing more people travel than ever.
We have people who built their holidays around their Odyssey screening, which is pretty incredible,” says Jeremy Fee, Imax Melbourne general manager.
Melbourne's Imax is also the largest 1.43:1 cinema screen in the world, measuring 32m wide by 23m high (roughly as tall as a seven storey building).
When tickets for The Odyssey first went on sale – a year ago – it sold more than 17,000 tickets in under 24 hours.
They have since sold more than 30,000 tickets; The Odyssey is already their eighth biggest film of all time, before it has even opened.
Christian Wächter, 45, and his wife, Romy Demeter, 42, have travelled from Germany to Indonesia for a work trip, but are heading to Melbourne especially to see The Odyssey on 1570 at the Imax – twice.
