Czechia’s 70Mm Cinema Past Echoes with Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’

Prague’s Cinema City Flora will be one of only three EU cinemas screening Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in 70mm IMAX format when the film releases on July 17. This capability recalls a time when Czechoslovakia was a leader in large-format film technology. From the 1960s to the 1980s, dozens of Czechoslovak cinemas were equipped for 70mm screenings, showcasing both Soviet epics and Western productions.

The country embraced the format as a way to compete with television and demonstrate technological advancement. While filmmakers rarely shot directly on 70mm due to cost, the large-format experience was popular with audiences.

Though the expensive and cumbersome nature of 70mm prints led to its decline with the rise of digital projection, a revival is underway. Kino Mír 70 in Krnov now hosts an annual festival dedicated to the format, keeping the tradition alive for Czech and Slovak film enthusiasts. Nolan’s film offers a rare opportunity to experience a technology once considered the future of cinema.