'The Odyssey' sets IMAX records with strong China debut

Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey made a strong debut in China, with 45 percent of its nationwide box office generated from IMAX screens, which account for less than 1 percent of the country's total screens.

According to IMAX China Holding and IMAX Corporation, the film — adapted from Greek poet Homer's epic of the same title — raked in 90 million yuan ($13.2 million) from IMAX theaters during its opening weekend following its nationwide release on Aug 14.

This figure brought its total IMAX box office, including previews, to 132.3 million yuan ($19.4 million), accounting for 53 percent of the film's nationwide box office in China. Both its box-office total and other key index figures set new IMAX records for a Christopher Nolan film in China.

The strong performance has also pushed The Odyssey's worldwide IMAX box office to $345 million, extending its lead as the highest-grossing IMAX release of all time. Outside China, the film earned another $16 million internationally and $8 million in North America over the weekend.

"Chinese audiences continue to be enthralled by the work of Nolan and his extraordinary ambition as a filmmaker, and they are turning out in droves in IMAX for the singular cinematic experience he has created with The Odyssey," said Daniel Manwaring, CEO of IMAX China.

The Odyssey is Nolan's seventh IMAX film and the first feature ever shot entirely with IMAX 15/65 mm cameras. Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema collaborated with IMAX to develop The Keighley, a next-generation IMAX Film Camera, along with a new sound blimp compatible with multiple IMAX Film Cameras.

In earlier interviews, Nolan recalled being impressed by a childhood visit to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, where he saw Omnimax films — a 360-degree IMAX presentation projected onto hemispherical screens inside domed auditoriums. He also revealed that he had dreamed of shooting an entire film in IMAX since he was 16.