Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Is About to Swallow Almost Every IMAX Screen in China
Christopher Nolan has built a reputation in China unlike almost any other Western filmmaker working today, and that reputation is about to be tested on a massive scale. His films have consistently drawn large crowds in the country’s premium format theaters, turning ordinary release weekends into cultural events. Now that pattern is set to repeat itself in a much bigger way.
‘The Odyssey’ has already been performing strongly overseas, and its long awaited mainland China debut is shaping up to be one of the biggest theatrical rollouts the region has seen in years. Anticipation has been building for weeks as international box office numbers rolled in ahead of the film’s local premiere.
According to a new report, Imax China is preparing to dedicate the vast majority of its nearly 800 screen network to ‘The Odyssey’ when the film opens across the mainland on August 14. Imax China CEO Daniel Manwaring told Variety that audience anticipation for the release is going to be enormous. He said he is expecting a very large majority of the company’s entire network, if not all of it, to be playing ‘The Odyssey’ during its first week.
Manwaring pointed to what he called the “Christopher Nolan effect” as the driving force behind the confidence, describing the filmmaker’s pull with Chinese audiences as unlike anything the exhibitor has seen recently. He also revealed that he has personally been receiving dozens of daily messages from fans asking about tickets, calling the enthusiasm something Imax has not witnessed for a film in quite some time.
The rollout will be paired with a major promotional push. Nolan and star Matt Damon are scheduled to arrive in Beijing on July 30 for what is being billed as the first ever red carpet event held for a commercial film at the China National Film Museum, a government run institution that also hosted the original Chinese launch of ‘Avatar’ during Imax’s early years in the country. Two screenings are planned in Beijing alongside a separate event at an Imax theater inside Universal Beijing Resort.
Preview screenings will kick off on August 1 and 2 in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, giving audiences an early look before the wide release. Manwaring believes the film’s audience profile may differ from typical Hollywood blockbusters, comparing its likely reach to major first tier markets similar to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago in the United States.
For context on just how significant this commitment is, Nolan’s Best Picture winner ‘Oppenheimer’ earned roughly nine million dollars in China over its first five days and closed with nearly twenty million total, while his biggest Chinese hit remains 2014’s ‘Interstellar’ with 139 million dollars. ‘The Odyssey’ has yet to open in South Korea or Japan, meaning its global total could climb significantly higher in the months ahead.
Do you think 'The Odyssey' will win Best Picture?
With nearly an entire national IMAX network clearing space for a single title, ‘The Odyssey’ is positioning itself for a China debut unlike anything Nolan has experienced before. What do you think this kind of screen dominance will mean for the film’s final worldwide haul?
