"Sold out our entire weekend": Moviegoers pack Boston area theaters for "The Odyssey"
A moviegoing renaissance is happening, as theaters are swamped with fans rushing to see Christopher Nolan's latest big box office hit "The Odyssey." At some cinemas in the Boston area, it is offered in 70 mm film, and it's given moviegoers of all ages a nostalgia that they haven't felt in a while.
"We sold out our entire weekend of shows, and it's the busiest we have seen it since the last Christopher Nolan film ran here in 70mm," said Mark Anastasio, Artistic Director at Coolidge Corner Theater. "We are seeing younger audiences coming out and being interested in seeing films on film the way that they were meant to be shown and seen."
Coolidge Corner Theater sold roughly 100 tickets to "The Odyssey" 70 mm matinee on Monday. That isn't typically a bustling time for moviegoers, but the draw of the film style has become a premium experience as opposed to seeing a movie that is played off of a digital file.
"You're starting from a much larger image in the film itself, so you're passing light through a frame this big as opposed to something half its size, which allows for more detail and texture," said Anastasio.
The film spans nine reels that Coolidge Corner technicians must shuffle through across two active projectors. The famous Greek poem spans 24 books, but not everyone is familiar with the literature before seeing the nearly three-hour movie.
"Other than reading some excerpts in high school, and SparkNotes, that's probably the little I know about the story going into the movie," said Liam Kane-Lascano, an Odyssey fan who already saw it on 70 mm film and wants to see it in IMAX again. "Christopher Nolan being the director is a big pull for me as a film fan. He's one of the few filmmakers that brings me to the theater consistently."
"Look, it's Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Zendaya and Tom Holland. Even if you don't know the story of Odysseus, you'd still want to come and see it just for those actors alone," said Vanessa Morales, General Manager at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Boston's Seaport.
Morales says their theater sold 990 tickets to "The Odyssey" on Saturday despite competing with the remnants of Sail Boston at their doorstep and the World Cup finals.
"Because everybody is just tired of streaming at this point and being at home. Now is just time to get out and change the environment," said Morales. "We have had a ton of walk ups on a Monday, and normally Monday is our slowest day."
