Christopher Nolan Books Imax 70mm Three-Week Run at Westwood Village Theatre
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey will play imax in a three-week 70mm engagement at Westwood Village Theatre when it opens on July 17. The booking ties a major release to a 95-year-old cinema that is being used for select events as part of a fundraising effort ahead of renovation.
Tickets for the 70mm showings go on sale Thursday, June 4 at 9am PT. The theatre’s booth will use restored dual 70mm projectors, giving the run a presentation setup built around the venue’s restoration rather than a temporary concession to the release.
Grant Moninger on 70mm
Grant Moninger, the American Cinematheque’s artistic director, called the booking an honor, saying, “Presenting Christopher Nolan’s latest epic in glorious 70mm on the largest traditional theatre screen in Los Angeles is an honor for the American Cinematheque.” He also said, “The Village booth will be fitted with restored dual 70mm projectors to ensure a world-class presentation throughout the entire run.”
That pairing of format and venue is the point. The Odyssey was shot using a new Imax film technology, and the Westwood Village Theatre’s restored projection setup gives the film a theatrical showcase that standard digital bookings cannot match.
Village renovation funding
The three-week run is one of a select number of engagements and special events the American Cinematheque is programming at the historical venue as a fundraising effort for its renovation and restoration. The Westwood Village Theatre, operated by the American Cinematheque and the Jason Reitman-led Village Directors Circle, will then undergo a 12-month renovation this fall.
The theatre also reopened for Paramount’s world premiere of James Cameron and Billie Eilish’s Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), and its projection booth was refurbished by Dolby for that event. Those bookings show a venue being treated less like a passive room and more like an asset to be upgraded, tested, and monetized through premium screenings.
Reitman’s Village view
Jason Reitman said, “There are many reasons to go to the movies, but few better than a three-week run of The Odyssey in 70mm at one of the most beautiful movie palaces in the country.” He added, “This American Cinematheque series is a preview of what we hope the restored Village Theatre will become.”
Reitman also said the goal is “a home for great filmmakers, great audiences, and the kind of theatrical experiences that simply can’t be replicated anywhere else.” He noted, “Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas were among the very first filmmakers to step in when the Village Theatre needed help,” and added, “Their commitment to keeping the spirit of moviegoing alive continues to inspire us all.”
For anyone planning to see the 70mm run, the immediate move is simple: tickets go on sale June 4 at 9am PT. For the theatre, the bigger story is that a July 17 booking is helping finance a renovation cycle that is supposed to lead toward a remodeled reopening in 2027.
