Glendale’s century-old Alex Theatre installed its 70mm presentation system six weeks ago, just ahead of the July 17 premiere of The Odyssey. Now the venue, which hadn’t shown a first-run movie for 35 years, has announced it’s the highest grossing theatre in the country for Christopher Nolan’s mythological epic on the film format.
“The response from audiences has been overwhelming and a wonderful reminder of how much people still value the shared experience of seeing a great film together,” Alex’s artistic director Miles Williams said in a statement which thanked Universal Pictures “for recognizing the important role historic theatres continue to play in Hollywood’s cinematic legacy.”
The Odyssey’s domestic box office total reached $395.5 million over the weekend. The film relinquished first place to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Sony’s superhero sequel success story, which has taken over a portion of the Imax screens held by Nolan’s movie.
The 900-seat Alex, known for its mix of Classical Revival and Moderne architectural detailing, has been showing The Odyssey three times per day. The venue will be extending its run by at least two weeks.
The marquee advertising The Odyssey at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California.
