BFI Fellow Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed epic, THE ODYSSEY, is now the biggest film of all time at BFI IMAX. As the first feature film shot entirely with IMAX film cameras, THE ODYSSEY can be experienced at BFI IMAX in its intended presentation, screened from a rare IMAX 70mm print on the UK’s largest screen.
To date, BFI IMAX has sold more than 101,000 admissions for THE ODYSSEY, generating £2,683,987 gross in ticket sales from a single screen and achieving a 95% occupancy rate across all showtimes currently on sale – making it the cinema’s highest grossing film ever. BFI IMAX remains the number one IMAX venue in both the UK and international markets for the film, while the London cinema is also the second-highest grossing IMAX screen globally, behind the TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, which has almost double the capacity.
The complete top ten highest-grossing films of all time at BFI IMAX, including five more features directed by BFI Fellow Christopher Nolan, are:
- THE ODYSSEY (Christopher Nolan, 2026)
- AVATAR (James Cameron, 2009)
- OPPENHEIMER (Christopher Nolan, 2023)
- STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (J.J. Abrams, 2015)
- THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
- THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (Christopher Nolan, 2012)
- DUNE: PART TWO (Denis Villeneuve, 2024)
- DUNKIRK (Christopher Nolan, 2017)
- INTERSTELLAR (Christopher Nolan, 2014)
- AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (James Cameron, 2022)
Last month, BFI IMAX was the number one IMAX venue in both the UK and international markets for THE ODYSSEY’s opening weekend, with a three-day gross of £219,867. This put the film at the top of the all-time BFI IMAX opening weekend box office rankings. THE ODYSSEY also shattered BFI IMAX’s one-day presale record in June, selling 28,000 tickets in the first 24 hours for a gross revenue of £750,000. This achievement came after four opening weekend screenings sold out in less than an hour, a full year ahead of release.
BFI IMAX Programme Manager Madeleine Mullett previously commented: “As the only cinema in the UK to hold a complete archive of Christopher Nolan’s IMAX 70mm filmography, now including The Odyssey, we are proud to be the home of Christopher Nolan on film. Across the BFI, our commitment to preserving and celebrating celluloid, alongside the filmmakers who continue to champion this format, speaks to the enduring power of storytelling and the unique communal experience of seeing film on film. The extraordinary demand for our IMAX 70mm presentation of The Odyssey, experienced as intended by the filmmakers, is ultimate proof of the appetite audiences have for cinema at its most authentic.”
At the start of 2026, BFI IMAX launched a new monthly celluloid strand, CHRISTOPHER NOLAN ON FILM, in anticipation of the IMAX 70mm release of THE ODYSSEY. Since January, sold out audiences have travelled through time, space, history and memory with screenings of each of Nolan’s IMAX 70mm features, presented chronologically. Beginning with THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY in January and culminating with OPPENHEIMER in June, the strand celebrates one of contemporary cinema’s most influential filmmakers and his enduring commitment to the theatrical experience, large-format filmmaking and the power of film projection.
BFI IMAX was officially opened by King Charles III (then the Prince of Wales) on 11 June 1999. Still reigning supreme as the UK’s largest screen almost three decades later, the iconic Waterloo destination relaunched in November 2022 with wide-ranging enhancements including a new 4K IMAX with Laser projection system, immersive 12-channel sound technology, plush new seats, and a brand new 65-foot-high IMAX screen. During the refurbishment, BFI IMAX retained both print projectors: the IMAX GT Projector 15/70mm and a Century Projector that can screen 35mm/70mm. This followed the BFI resuming the day-to-day running and programming of the landmark venue in July 2022.
