The Odyssey reached $289 million in global IMAX revenue after its fourth weekend, passing Avatar's approximately $271 million record.

North America contributed $147.3 million and international markets $141.8 million at that stage. China had not yet opened.

The IMAX logo can describe very different projection systems

Most modern IMAX venues are digital. A much smaller group can project 15-perforation 70mm IMAX film, the format Nolan repeatedly positions as the preferred presentation for his work.

At compatible locations, The Odyssey can use IMAX's expanded 1.43:1 ratio. Each 70mm frame travels horizontally through the projector rather than vertically like conventional film.

Universal's official site describes The Odyssey as the first feature in which every frame was photographed using IMAX film cameras.

The 70mm run generated $37.5 million from 41 locations

Those screenings accounted for roughly 14 percent of the movie's total IMAX gross when the record was announced.

That is an enormous contribution from an exhibition footprint measured in dozens of theaters rather than thousands. Premium pricing matters, but so does concentration: enthusiasts travel to these locations and book specific screenings well ahead of time.

It does not make 70mm a scalable replacement for digital projection. The equipment is specialized, operationally demanding and unavailable to most theaters. Its scarcity is part of why the surviving installations behave like destination venues.

Not every IMAX screening shows the same frame

The movie's official format guide distinguishes the 1.43:1 IMAX 70mm presentation from other aspect ratios including 1.90:1 digital IMAX.

That means two tickets carrying the same IMAX brand can still represent meaningfully different presentations. The expanded image available at a 1.43:1 venue depends on both the screen and projection system.

Universal made those differences unusually visible by building format explainers directly into the movie's official website.

Projection technology has become part of the release strategy

Nolan's recent films increasingly treat format selection as something audiences should think about before choosing a theater. Oppenheimer turned 70mm locations into destinations; The Odyssey has given the strategy an even larger box-office result.

Digital IMAX still supplies most of the practical reach. The 70mm component matters because it gives the broader IMAX campaign a technological flagship that can be marketed as scarce and distinct.

Forty-one locations producing $37.5 million is a persuasive reason for theaters and IMAX to keep that difficult hardware running.