According to CNBC, an adult IMAX 70 mm ticket for opening weekend ran the typical attendee $27.77, which is 81% more expensive than the average cost of admission across formats.
Massive Demand and Extreme Travel for IMAX 70 mm Screenings
IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond stated on a conference call with analysts that IMAX 70-millimeter film has become among the hottest tickets in the world, noting that fans are flying across countries and continents to experience the film. During opening weekend, an average screen equipped for 70 mm brought in a box-office haul of $153,000. Major theater chains reported exceptional interest, with Regal stating that the nearly three-hour picture became the chain’s top IMAX 70 mm-displayed movie, while Cinemark noted exceptionally strong demand in states including Colorado and Texas.
Audiences went to extraordinary lengths to secure admission. Mike Rohlfing, a 39-year-old marketer from St. Louis, Missouri, drove approximately 900 miles round trip by minivan with his wife and three kids to Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the IMAX 70 mm theater within the Indiana State Museum—the only film house running the format in the Hoosier State—more than half of audience members on the first days of showings traveled at least 50 miles. Theater manager Neale Johantgen reported welcoming visitors from more than 20 states and fielding requests from moviegoers attempting to score tickets from places as far-flung as Switzerland.
Technical Limitations and Finite Screen Availability
Despite the historic demand, IMAX cannot quickly multiply screening counts. Only a small share of total IMAX theaters are big enough and equipped with the high-cost machinery necessary to project the gigantic rolls of 70 mm film.
Describing the equipment economics, Gelfond compared the auditoriums to a Rolls-Royce, noting that there are a finite number of locations that can support the setup. The format utilizes an oversized 65-mm film negative run horizontally through the camera, resulting in an image 15 perforations wide compared to the standard 5-perf. When projected on a giant screen, the resulting image features a squarish aspect ratio of 1.43:1, creating a significantly more immersive experience than standard digital offerings.
Complicating access further, technical hurdles have impacted venues. Regal King of Prussia, located just outside Philadelphia, informed customers that it experienced issues with its 70 mm IMAX projector, forcing temporary screenings in the digital IMAX format while technicians worked around the clock to resolve the projection issues. The King of Prussia location is the only theater in Pennsylvania showing the film in the 70 mm format, with the next closest locations situated in New York City, Rochester, and Providence.
Historical Significance of the Format
The intense focus on the format stems from its unique production history. The film marks the first feature-length production shot entirely with IMAX 70 mm cameras, whereas other directors have previously utilized the format only for select action-packed scenes within conventionally filmed features.
Director Christopher Nolan explained in an interview with CBS News that the format offers a much sharper image and is more similar to the way human eyes see. The cinematic achievement follows a broader resurgence in film projection, with IMAX 70 mm becoming a gold standard following previous releases like Oppenheimer, Dune: Part Two, Sinners, One Battle After Another, and Project Hail Mary.
To accommodate the extraordinary public interest, select venues have extended their schedules. The Indiana State Museum theater added an additional one-week run in August due to the historic demand. Meanwhile, Gelfond confirmed that IMAX 70 mm screenings of the film will continue to run for months.
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