It’s been an exciting year to be a movie fan. After years of declining public interest in the art form, 2026 has brought the movies back in a big way. Just in the last few months, audiences turned their backs on the cookie-cutter, IP-fueled likes of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, Moana, and Supergirl, while embracing original films by new voices like The Drama and Obsession. Simultaneously, the rise of repertory theaters has been a lifeline to embattled independent cinemas across the country, while introducing young moviegoers to the pleasures of classic and foreign cinema. On any given night in Los Angeles, James Cameron might show up to a 70mm screening of Aliens, or maybe Michael Mann will be at your local repertory to introduce a new cut of his 1986 classic thriller Manhunter.

And then there’s The Odyssey. Whether you love or hate Christopher Nolan’s three-hour blockbuster, it’s impossible for film nerds not to be stirred by the stories of this movie’s wide-ranging success. From sold-out 2 a.m. screenings to debates over the nuances of adaptation, The Odyssey has returned filmmaking to the center of pop culture in a way that few movies have been able to do in recent years.

The success of The Odyssey is also a success for IMAX. In the 1950s and ’60s, faced with the threat of television, movie studios turned to emerging technologies like VistaVision and CinemaScope to lure audiences back to theaters with the promise of sharper and bigger images. Today IMAX is serving the same function, promising a beautiful, massive, and clear picture that is far superior to what even the best 4K televisions can provide.