Imax China Plans Major Push for Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey"

Imax China plans to dedicate significant screen space to Christopher Nolan’s new movie “The Odyssey” across its 800-screen network. The film set to launch in mainland China on August 14, and the prevailing expectation is that audience enthusiasm will be considerable. According to Daniel Manwaring, the CEO of Imax China, a large portion of the network could be playing the film within its first week of release.

Nolan and actor Matt Damon are scheduled to land in Beijing at the end of July for a groundbreaking red carpet event at the China National Film Museum. This event marks the first premiere of its kind in the museum for a commercial film. The museum previously hosted the Chinese launch of “Avatar” during Imax’s initial years in China.

Manwaring has seen immense public interest for “The Odyssey," with daily requests for tickets reaching between 50-60 every day via WeChat. Previews are set to commence on August 1 and 2 in various Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. These screenings will precede the broad release of the film.

Ticketing platform Maoyan Pro has received over 252,000 “want to see” registrations for “The Odyssey”, surpassing all other incoming imported titles. This high demand is primarily from viewers in tier-one and tier-two cities as well as regular movie-goers.

The phenomenon labeled as "the Nolan effect" is a tribute to Nolan’s skyrocketing popularity in China. He has been steadily gaining recognition over time to the point where he’s “bigger than any movie star” in the country, according to Manwaring. Nolan's previous film, “Oppenheimer,” earned over $9 million in China in its opening five days and ultimately rounded off at nearly $20 million.

Manwaring attributes Imax China’s decline in revenue and profit in the first half of the year to a weaker Lunar New Year slate and a dry spell in April and May. However, he expresses optimism for the second half of the year, with high-interest films like "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The Odyssey" on the roster.

As for the future, Imax China aims to prioritize its focus on content rather than specifications alone, playing host to Formula One races, concerts, esports championships, and documentaries in addition to its "Filmed for Imax" program. Manwaring also expresses his anticipation for a Chinese filmmaker to shoot an entire film on Imax cameras, similar to Nolan's approach to "The Odyssey", citing the increasing demand among Hollywood directors.