DUBLIN, CALIFORNIA – Here in the 925, we have one of America’s rarest movie experiences right in our backyard.
Moviegoers are traveling hundreds of miles to see Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster in the format he intended. But we barely need to travel at all!
The star-studded film is clearly a Best Picture contender. But most people only get to see a diminished, cropped version.
Regal Hacienda Crossings in Dublin is one of only about 25 theaters in the United States showing “The Odyssey” on genuine 70mm IMAX film.
That puts the Dublin multiplex in an unusually exclusive group of theaters capable of presenting the movie with its towering image, enormous film print and expanded aspect ratio intact.
“The Odyssey” opened in theaters on July 17 and was shot entirely with IMAX film cameras, an achievement billed as a first for a full-length Hollywood feature. Nolan previously used IMAX cameras extensively for movies including “The Dark Knight,” “Dunkirk” and “Oppenheimer,” but his adaptation of Homer’s ancient epic takes the format even further.
The movie stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king attempting to return home after the Trojan War. The massive cast also includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron.
While “The Odyssey” is playing at theaters across the Bay Area, most screenings are not the same as the presentation available at Hacienda Crossings.
What Makes This Version Different?
The term “IMAX” can describe several different theater configurations.
Many modern IMAX auditoriums use digital projectors and a relatively wide screen. While they still take advantage of the IMAX name, they generally cannot display the full, exceptionally tall image captured by traditional IMAX film cameras.
The rare 70mm IMAX version uses a massive strip of film running horizontally through a specialized projector. The format is sometimes called 15-perforation 70mm, or 15/70, because each frame stretches across 15 perforations in the film.
Showing this format is so complex that it often requires a forklift just to put the huge reels of film into the projector!
When the movie uses the full IMAX frame, the picture can expand vertically to an aspect ratio of 1.43:1. Rather than simply stretching or enlarging the same image, the presentation reveals significantly more of the scene above and below what viewers see in many conventional theaters.
For a movie filled with vast seas, ancient battlefields, enormous ships and mythological spectacle, that extra image area can apparently make a substantial difference.
Dublin Is on a Very Short National List
IMAX’s official list identifies Regal Hacienda Crossings as one of the theaters presenting “The Odyssey” in IMAX 70mm film. Even so, many prime time showings are sold out.
Only around two dozen theaters nationwide are equipped and scheduled to show the movie this way. California has several of them, including theaters in Dublin, Sacramento, San Francisco and Southern California, but large portions of the country have no 70mm IMAX presentation at all.
For residents of Contra Costa and Alameda counties, Hacienda Crossings may be the easiest option without traveling into San Francisco or north to Sacramento.
The theater is located at 5000 Dublin Boulevard, near the Hacienda Crossings shopping center and the Interstate 580 and Interstate 680 interchange.
Moviegoers purchasing tickets should make sure the showtime is specifically labeled “IMAX 70mm.”
For East Bay moviegoers, seeing “The Odyssey” in its most ambitious format does not require a flight, a pilgrimage to Hollywood or even a trip across the Bay Bridge.
One of the country’s rarest cinema experiences is playing right here in Dublin.
