The Cinema Pilgrims: How a Melbourne IMAX Became a Global Destination
There’s something deeply human about going to extraordinary lengths for something we love. But what happens when that ‘something’ is a movie theater? That’s the question I’ve been pondering after learning about the legions of film enthusiasts flocking to Melbourne’s IMAX for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. What makes this particularly fascinating is that these aren’t your average moviegoers. They’re flying thousands of miles, spending thousands of dollars, and rearranging their lives—all for a single cinematic experience.
Take Vincent Simmons, a 35-year-old projectionist from Los Angeles. He’s not traveling to Australia for the Great Barrier Reef or the Sydney Opera House. No, his destination is a cinema screen. Personally, I think this speaks to a larger cultural shift: the transformation of cinema from a casual pastime into a pilgrimage-worthy event. What many people don’t realize is that Melbourne’s IMAX isn’t just any theater. It’s one of only 41 in the world capable of screening true IMAX 70mm film—a format Nolan champions for its unparalleled immersion.
From my perspective, this is where the story gets truly intriguing. The 70mm format is a relic of a bygone era, a massive, unwieldy beast that requires specialized equipment and expertise. The film reels are so large they can hold three hours of runtime, and only a handful of technicians in Australia are qualified to handle them. If you take a step back and think about it, this scarcity is what makes the experience so coveted. It’s not just about watching a movie; it’s about witnessing a dying art form.
One thing that immediately stands out is the global reach of this phenomenon. Kaivalya, a PhD student from India, pushed forward his relocation to Melbourne just to catch The Odyssey on opening weekend. His friends are doing the same, traveling to Thailand, China, or the U.S. to find the nearest 70mm theater. This raises a deeper question: Why are people willing to go to such lengths for a format that’s technically inferior to digital in many ways?
In my opinion, it’s because film—especially 70mm—offers something digital can’t: a sense of tangibility, of history. The grain, the warmth of the colors, the sheer physicality of it all—these are the qualities that make it feel alive. A detail that I find especially interesting is how this has turned cinema into a communal event, almost like a concert. People aren’t just watching a movie; they’re sharing an experience with fellow enthusiasts from around the world.
What this really suggests is that cinema, in its purest form, is about more than entertainment. It’s about connection, preservation, and the pursuit of something extraordinary. Melbourne’s IMAX has become a shrine for this ethos, drawing in pilgrims like Mitchell and Dimeth, who’ve made it a ritual to watch Nolan’s films there. Their closest IMAX, in Brisbane, pales in comparison—smaller, digital, and lacking the same magic.
But here’s the thing: this trend isn’t sustainable. The equipment is aging, the technicians are few, and the costs are astronomical. Jeremy Fee, the general manager of Melbourne’s IMAX, admits that replicating this experience elsewhere is nearly impossible. What this really suggests is that we’re witnessing the twilight of an era. And yet, the hype around The Odyssey has turned this into a tourism boom for Melbourne, with people building entire vacations around a trip to the cinema.
If you ask me, this is both beautiful and bittersweet. Beautiful because it shows the enduring power of cinema to inspire passion and community. Bittersweet because it’s a reminder of how fragile these experiences are. As someone who loves film, I can’t help but wonder: What happens when the last 70mm projector stops running?
For now, though, Melbourne’s IMAX stands as a testament to the magic of cinema—a place where people from all corners of the globe gather to celebrate the art of storytelling. It’s not just a theater; it’s a destination, a phenomenon, and a reminder of why we fell in love with movies in the first place.
