Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is getting a three-week residency at two legendary Los Angeles theaters for its upcoming release. Starting July 16th, the film will play on 70mm film at both the Aero Theater in Santa Monica and the Director’s Village theater in Westwood. It’ll be at the Westwood theater for a bit longer going from July 16th to August 6th. The residency ends at the Aero Theater on July 30th. Both theatrical engagements are in partnership with Universal Pictures.
The Odyssey is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to screens for the first time and opens in cinemas everywhere July 17, 2026. The film stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron. The Odyssey is produced by Thomas and Nolan for their company, Syncopy, and is executive produced by Thomas Hayslip. Nolan’s most recent film, 2023’s Oppenheimer, earned seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
There will be preview screenings on Thursday, July 16th at both the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica and Directors Village in Westwood.
Tickets will go on sale on Thursday June 4, 2026 at 9:00am PT.
About The Westwood Theater
The Westwood Director’s Village theater is on pace for 12 months of renovations this Fall, but before that happens, they’re letting guests see The Odyssey on 70mm film there. It was purchased by Village Directors Circle which is run by Jason Reitman. They’re partnering with American Cinematheque to do screenings at the theater. It was closed for quite a long time but is now reopening for business.
The planned renovations should be done in 2027 and will be a home to special screenings with in-person conversations, awards season events, new releases, and much more from American Cinematheque. The theater will also host some of their screenings for festivals like Beyond Fest, Bleak Week, This Is Not A Fiction, and Ultra Cinematheque 70.
The THS Take – All Upside And A Great Way To See The Odyssey
As for the Westwood Village theater, I’ve never been there before, so this is a great way to experience a historic Los Angeles theater AND get to see The Odyssey in 70mm film. The residency being 3 weeks also means that people aren’t going to be locked out of seeing the film. Those film screenings of movies like Oppenheimer or other films are always impossible to get into, especially with scalpers buying up tickets. The American Cinematheque doesn’t allow scalpers AND being a member means you get priority entry to the theater.
There really is no downside or anything to worry about here. Fans of the movie can watch it in the best possible quality on film, and people who don’t want to go through all the bells and whistles can still see the movie on whatever their preferred format is.
It all adds up to what’s likely to be a fantastic time at the movies this summer. I’m already hyped through the roof for The Odyssey. It combines THE story of all stories with the filmmaking style of Christopher Nolan. We’ll have to see just how well it turns out when it releases in theaters on July 17th, 2026.
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