Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is the first feature film ever shot entirely on IMAX film cameras, more than two million feet of it, and the director built the movie for the tallest screens in the world. That creates a problem for Filipino fans. The format Nolan intended, true IMAX 70mm at a 1.43 to 1 aspect ratio, simply does not exist in the Philippines. So the real question is not where can I see it, but where can I see the most of it.
What Nolan actually intended
The Odyssey was filmed on 65mm and 70mm IMAX film so that every frame fills the full height of a genuine IMAX screen, a 1.43 to 1 ratio that towers over standard cinema. Only 41 theaters on the planet have the film projector and 1.43 to 1 screen needed to show it that way, and none of them are in Asia, let alone the Philippines. Outside those rare rooms, you see less of the image. A digital IMAX shows it at 1.90 to 1, and a standard flat screen crops it further to about 1.85 to 1. You do not lose the story, but you lose some of the scale Nolan designed.
The IMAX landscape in the Philippines
Here is the catch that matters most. The Philippines has no IMAX 70mm and no IMAX with Laser GT, the dual laser system that can also hit the full 1.43 to 1 frame. What we do have are Laser CoLa and Laser XT systems, both capped at 1.90 to 1. The difference between them is screen size. CoLa runs on the country’s largest IMAX screens, while XT serves smaller houses.
That makes the choice simple. For the biggest, most immersive presentation available locally, go to an IMAX with Laser CoLa screen. In Metro Manila that means SM Mall of Asia, which has the largest IMAX screen in the country at about 24 meters wide, and Vista Cinemas Evia in Alabang, also a CoLa house. Every other SM IMAX (Megamall, North EDSA, Aura, Southmall) and the provincial IMAX branches (Cebu, Clark, Iloilo, Lanang, among others) run Laser XT. They are still proper IMAX at 1.90 to 1, just on a smaller screen.
Prices and where to watch
The Odyssey opened in Philippine cinemas on July 15, 2026, with a runtime of about 2 hours and 53 minutes and an R13 rating. SM Cinema is the IMAX exhibitor, and IMAX tickets run about PHP 850 for a regular seat and PHP 990 for a recliner, with a free limited edition collectible ticket for July 15 screenings. Dolby Cinema, where available, is a strong alternative at a 1.85 to 1 ratio with premium sound, though it crops the frame slightly more than IMAX.
| Format | Aspect ratio | Best PH location | Indicative price (PHP) | How close to Nolan’s intent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMAX 70mm film | 1.43 to 1 | Not available in PH | n/a | Exact (intended) |
| IMAX Laser GT | 1.43 to 1 | Not available in PH | n/a | Exact (closest digital) |
| IMAX Laser CoLa | 1.90 to 1 | SM Mall of Asia, Vista Evia | 850 to 990 | Best available in PH |
| IMAX Laser XT | 1.90 to 1 | Megamall, North EDSA, Aura, Southmall, Cebu, Clark, Iloilo, Lanang | 850 to 990 | Good, smaller screen |
| Dolby Cinema | 1.85 to 1 | Select Ayala / Power Plant etc. | varies | Strong alternative, slightly cropped |
| Standard 2D | flat (cropped) | All cinemas | 250 to 500 | Least of the frame |
When to go
If you want the full opening-weekend buzz and the free collectible ticket, July 15 is the date, but expect packed houses. For the cleanest, most immersive watch, aim for a weekday evening CoLa screening at SM Mall of Asia once the crowds thin out, ideally in the first two weeks while the IMAX prints are freshest. Avoid the smallest XT houses if scale is what you came for. The film holds in wide release through the summer, so there is no rush beyond the opening perk.
The bottom line
You cannot see The Odyssey exactly as Nolan shot it in the Philippines, because the 1.43 to 1 IMAX 70mm format is not here. But you can get remarkably close. Buy a ticket at SM Mall of Asia or Vista Evia IMAX, the Laser CoLa screens, sit near the center, and let the 24 meter wall of image do the work. That is the best Odyssey experience this country can offer.
If you absolutely want the intended 1.43 to 1 frame, the nearest option is a Laser GT or 70mm theater abroad, most of them in the United States. For most Filipino viewers, though, MOA IMAX is the pilgrimage.
