One historic LA theater's 70 mm movie makeover for "The Odyssey"

概览

This episode looks at why century-old film projection technology has become a major draw around Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, especially in IMAX 70mm and 70mm presentations.

The conversation centers on the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California, which retrofitted its historic venue to screen The Odyssey in 70mm. Miles Williams, the theater’s artistic director, explains both the technical differences between IMAX 70mm, digital IMAX, regular digital screenings, 70mm, and 35mm film, and why film projection still feels distinct from home viewing.

A key thread is scarcity: the hardware is old, parts and expertise are limited, and projection relies on a small network of specialists. At the same time, Williams says younger people are showing real interest in learning projection and in analog media more broadly.

分段落总结

[00:01] Century-old movie tech becomes the summer draw

[事实] The episode opens by saying the hottest technology in movies is around a century old. [事实] Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is described as the major cinematic event of the summer. [事实] Moviegoers are trying to find tickets for the film in its intended IMAX 70mm format, while even non-IMAX 70mm theaters are scarce.

[00:35] The Alex Theatre returns to first-run moviegoing

[事实] The Alex Theatre in Glendale, California, is described as a historic movie palace from the 1920s. [事实] Miles Williams says the theater operated as a first-run movie palace until 1991, with Terminator 2 as its last first-run studio film before this summer. [事实] The theater was renovated to screen The Odyssey in 70mm and became the highest-grossing 70mm cinema in the country. [推测] The theater used The Odyssey as both a technical relaunch and a public signal that it was returning to major movie exhibition.

[01:24] How IMAX 70mm, 70mm, digital IMAX, and 35mm differ

[事实] Williams describes IMAX 70mm as actual film stock running horizontally, with 15 perforations per still image. [事实] He says digital IMAX without 70mm is digital but uses the IMAX format, while regular digital screenings use a widescreen format suited to standard screens. [事实] Standard 70mm is described as film running vertically with five perforations, producing a more traditional landscape image. [事实] Williams says 70mm is about four times the size of 35mm, giving more clarity, color, and overall image quality. [推测] The discussion frames format choice as not only a matter of resolution, but also of aspect ratio, screen design, and how much of the original IMAX image is preserved.

[03:42] Why film projection feels special

[事实] Williams says film projection turns moviegoing into an event because audiences cannot reproduce that experience at home on TVs, computers, or phones. [事实] He describes historic theaters as living museums, shaped by generations of people gathering to be entertained. [事实] He argues that watching projected film creates a feeling of closeness to the art. [推测] The appeal of film is presented as emotional and communal as much as technical.

[04:31] What the Alex Theatre had to rebuild

[事实] The theater brought in specialists in projection and acoustics to raise the standard of projection, sound, and clarity. [事实] Williams says the existing screen was still usable. [事实] The theater built a projection booth with picture windows so patrons can see the projectionists and projectors at work. [事实] The retrofit cost about half a million dollars, and the theater had about eight weeks after Universal gave the green light to complete work that Williams says should have taken a year.

[05:22] Sponsor segment: Tomorrow’s Cure

[事实] The episode includes a sponsor message for Tomorrow’s Cure, a Mayo Clinic podcast about technology and medicine. [事实] The ad mentions topics including AI-powered diagnostics, cancer therapies, surgical technologies, and carbon ion therapy. [事实] The season premiere features Dr. Paige Taylor and Dr. Adam Holtzman discussing precision cancer treatment.

[06:35] Old projectors depend on scarce expertise

[事实] Williams says 70mm non-IMAX projection faces similar maintenance challenges to IMAX 70mm because the technology is old and parts are hard to source. [事实] He describes a network of older projectionists and apprentices in Los Angeles who have parts and technical knowledge. [事实] He says projectors require all components to work together and compares maintaining them to tinkering with an old car. [事实] He says this old guard of projectionists helps keep Los Angeles film projection operating.

[08:02] A younger generation is interested in projection

[事实] Williams says people have emailed him asking to apprentice at the theater. [事实] He says one of the projectionists working on The Odyssey at the Alex Theatre appears to be under 30. [事实] He describes a woman who looked through the projection booth windows and said she wanted to learn how to do that work. [推测] The visible projection booth may help turn technical labor into part of the audience experience and inspire new projectionists.

[08:39] Gen Z and the appeal of analog media

[事实] Williams says younger interest in analog media may be connected to a desire for physical connection and meaning. [事实] He connects that interest to experiences of disconnection during the pandemic and to the contrast between digital tools and physical media. [事实] He mentions young people collecting tapes, LPs, and even eight-tracks. [事实] He says the market should respond to this interest and that it is already doing so at the Alex Theatre. [推测] The episode suggests analog revival is not simple nostalgia, but part of a broader desire for tangible, shared experiences.

[09:55] Closing credits and listener survey

[事实] The episode identifies Miles Williams as artistic director of the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California. [事实] Courtney Bergseeker produced the episode. [事实] A closing message asks Marketplace listeners to complete an anonymous audience survey at marketplace.org/survey.

播客点评/总结

[推测] The episode is valuable as a compact explainer of movie formats that are often discussed casually but not always understood: IMAX 70mm, digital IMAX, 70mm, regular digital, and 35mm.

[推测] Its strongest material comes from the practical details of revival: budget, repair constraints, projection booth design, scarce parts, and the human network needed to keep old systems running.

[推测] The episode is best suited for listeners interested in film exhibition, analog technology, historic theaters, or the economics of making a theatrical release feel like an event.

[推测] Its main limitation is that it focuses on one theater and one interviewee, so broader claims about Gen Z, analog culture, and market response are suggestive rather than fully demonstrated.