Imax CEO Richard Gelfond has no illusions about his newfound popularity. People are calling his phone and cozying up to him like he could have gotten them inside Taylor Swift’s wedding at Madison Square Garden. But no, what they really want is a golden ticket to a preview of “The Odyssey,” Christopher Nolan’s epic that was shot entirely with Imax cameras. Forecasting the frenzy, Imax put opening-weekend tickets on sale a full year in advance and saw them sell out in a matter of hours.
“I’ve gotten calls from people I haven’t talked to in years!” Gelfond says with a chuckle. “It’s pretty apparent the prospect of getting ‘Odyssey’ tickets in Imax has reunited me with old friends — and made me new ones.”
Justin Metz
It’s not just Homer fever that has America going to the movies again. For the first time since COVID threatened theaters with extinction, Hollywood is letting out a huge sigh of relief. Audiences have danced along with “Michael,” dressed in couture to see “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and returned again and again to have the shit scared out of them by “Obsession.” Popcorn is popping at concession stands (and moviegoers are shelling out extra to consume the buttery goodness in collectible themed buckets), teens are turning out in force (and sharing the fun on TikTok) and studio accountants are giddy as the list of blockbusters keeps growing. Yes, people have fallen back in love with the silver screen.
