Christopher Nolan and Matt Damon are heading to Beijing. The two are set to arrive July 30 for what IMAX China describes as the first-ever red carpet event held for a commercial film at the China National Film Museum, a government institution that also hosted the original Chinese launch of Avatar during IMAX's early years in the country.
The Odyssey opens in mainland China on August 14, and IMAX China is preparing to commit nearly its entire network to the release. CEO Daniel Manwaring told Variety the audience anticipation "is going to be enormous."
"I'm expecting a very large majority of our entire network, if not all of our network, that first week will be playing 'The Odyssey,'" Manwaring said.
Two screenings are planned in Beijing before the wide release, alongside a separate event at an IMAX theater at Universal Beijing Resort. Previews begin August 1 and 2 in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, with one screening per day. Manwaring said he has personally been receiving "50 to 60 WeChats" every day from people requesting tickets.
Early interest data supports the enthusiasm. According to ticketing platform Maoyan Pro, cumulative "want to see" registrations for The Odyssey had surpassed 252,000 as of July 24, putting it ahead of every other upcoming imported title tracked by the platform. For comparison, Spider-Man: Brand New Day sits at 810,000, Minions and Monsters at 234,000, The Devil Wears Prada 2 at 203,000, Toy Story 5 at 189,000, and Backrooms at 115,000.
Manwaring drew a geographic comparison between how the film is expected to perform in China and how it will likely do in North America. He described The Odyssey as "more of a first-tier city type of film," and said "the best performance of 'Odyssey' is most likely going to be New York, L.A., Chicago."
In Hong Kong and Taiwan, IMAX's early box office share has already topped 30 percent in both markets, with combined receipts approaching half a million dollars. Manwaring called that "a lot for small, tiny, island markets."
Manwaring pointed to Oppenheimer as a benchmark for what IMAX can do with a Nolan film in China. That film generated RMB452 million, or roughly $66.8 million, in cumulative mainland China box office.
Pre-sales for The Odyssey have not yet opened in mainland China. The wide release begins August 14.
