GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Christopher Nolan's film "The Odyssey" is drawing moviegoers from across the region to Grand Rapids, where Celebration Cinema North is one of only 40 theaters worldwide showing the film in the rare 70-millimeter IMAX format.
WATCH: Moviegoers lined up in the early morning hours to catch 'The Odyssey' in rare 70mm IMAX feature in Grand Rapids
Celebration Cinema leaders says the resolution is about 7 times better than what you would see in a typical digital theater.
Jacob Webster was one of the moviegoers who attended the 1:30 a.m. showing Friday morning.
WATCH: Moviegoers travel to Grand Rapids to see 'The Odyssey' in rare 70mm IMAX format
"You can't get a bigger screen than that at home, I mean it's amazing!"
Webster said the experience goes far beyond just watching a movie.
"You can totally tell the difference between digital and film,” Webster said.
The first time Webster saw a 70mm IMAX film was for "Oppenheimer." He said that experience brought him back, something Celebration Cinema Projectionist Mitchell Opprman said was the case for many others.
"The double feature of 2023, Barbenheimer, was probably the last time we had anything quite like this,” Opprman said.
The packed showings are a sign Opprman says the audiences are returning to theaters to experience big movies the way they were meant to be seen.
"A lot of movies like “Obsession” recently and now this are showing that if you make a good movie, people will come out to see it,” Opprman said, “Seeing it in a theater is the best way to see it and people are starting to realize that again."
Webster said it is the shared reactions of a theater full of moviegoers that keeps him coming back.
"I love seeing it on the big screen. I love the theatre experience. When you're watching at home you're not surrounded with people talking like 'hey did you see that? It was cool!” Webster said. “I love it, it's just a wild ride."
For more information on showtimes, click here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
