The vanishing projector problem

There are only 40 theaters in the entire world that can show a true 70mm IMAX film. And nobody can build another one. IMAX simply lost the blueprints. The original plans for how to manufacture those massive projectors are gone — the company didn't keep good records 50 years ago. The parts manufacturers that once built the components have either gone out of business or pivoted to other industries. The institutional knowledge of how to assemble these machines has evaporated as the industry shifted toward digital projection. So when Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey became the first film ever shot entirely on 70mm IMAX, it created a strange situation: the most talked-about movie of the year can only be seen in its full form at a handful of venues, many of which are using half-century-old projectors that have been retrofitted and maintained by sheer force of will.

What IMAX actually is