PORTLAND, Ore. — Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's upcoming blockbuster film about the man behind the first atomic bomb, is generating a lot of online buzz in the final days before its premier, due in part to the director's widely-publicized calls for audiences to try see his film in what he considers to be the biggest and best possible theatrical format: IMAX 70mm.
Theaters equipped to show IMAX 70mm films are hard to come by; there are only 19 cinemas scheduled to show Nolan's preferred version of Oppenheimer in the entire United States. When KGW posted a story listing their locations to social media, we noted that none of them are in Oregon or Washington, and the closest option for local purists is in Sacramento.
This revelation led to some confusion in the comments, however, with a few readers pointing out that Portland is home to several IMAX-equipped theaters, and others noting that at least one theater in the metro area appeared to be offering screenings of the movie in 70mm format.
We checked the listings at some of those big Portland theaters (and did some homework about what all these terms mean) to get to the bottom of the situation.
THE QUESTION
Are any theaters in the Portland area offering to screen Oppenheimer in IMAX 70mm format?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, there are no theaters in the Portland area that will show Oppenheimer in IMAX 70mm, although some theaters will screen the movie in IMAX digitally or on 70mm film on a conventional screen.
WHAT WE FOUND
Let's start by getting into what IMAX 70mm actually means, at least for the purposes of buying the right movie ticket. IMAX means the movie is going to be shown on a supersized IMAX screen rather than a conventional movie theater screen, and 70mm means the movie is going to be displayed using a film projector rather than a digital projector.
IMAX used to be associated more with custom films shown in specialized theaters to take full advantage of the proprietary format's enormous scale, but the arrival of digital IMAX cameras and projectors paved the way for an expansion into conventional multiplexes in the past decade. That same time period has also seen a rising number of Hollywood tentpole films shot partially or entirely with IMAX cameras to match the new screening options.
Nolan's blockbusters have been no exception to this trend, but Nolan is also known for shooting his movies on traditional film rather than using modern digital cameras, which for IMAX means shooting on larger 70mm film rather than conventional 35mm film in order to give the format its signature sprawling size and detail.
For Oppenheimer, Nolan is urging audiences to seek out screenings of the movie on film projectors rather than the digital projectors more commonly found in modern cinemas, but the movie's IMAX 70mm prints are staggeringly large — more than 600 pounds, according to the Associated Press — and only a tiny handful of theaters are equipped with IMAX film projectors that can display them. Most others only have digital IMAX projectors.
There are also 70mm prints designed for conventional screens, and some theaters do have projectors that can display them, including Regal Bridgeport Village in Portland, which appears to be where some of the online confusion is arising. The listings on Regal's website indicate that Bridgeport Village will offer 70mm film screenings, but they won't be in IMAX. The Hollywood Theatre in Portland is also advertising a 70mm print.
Bridgeport is also showing the movie in IMAX, but the 70mm part is missing from that listing category, indicating that the IMAX showings will be digital, not film. If you look up Oppenheimer showtimes at the Regal Edwards Ontario Palace in California, for example — one of the few theaters on the IMAX 70mm list — you'll notice that theater's listings include an IMAX 70mm category.
