Nolan’s The Odyssey is making movie history and it all leads back to this city in Canada

When people head to theatres this weekend to watch Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, they’ll be witnessing a movie that’s already making film history.

The highly anticipated epic is the first major feature film ever shot entirely with IMAX 70 mm film cameras, marking another major milestone for both Nolan and the format that has become synonymous with the biggest cinematic experiences on Earth.

But here’s something many movie fans may not know.

The company behind IMAX, the technology that has helped redefine blockbuster filmmaking for decades, is headquartered right here in Mississauga.

While the roots of IMAX trace back to innovations developed by Canadian filmmakers after Expo 67 in Montreal, the company itself has grown into a global entertainment powerhouse from its longtime headquarters in Mississauga. Today, IMAX theatres can be found in more than 90 countries, but its global headquarters remain in our city.

That’s a pretty incredible claim to fame.

A Canadian company that changed the way we watch movies

IMAX wasn’t created because someone wanted a slightly bigger movie screen.

The original goal was far more ambitious: to create the most immersive movie experience possible.

Following Expo 67, Canadian filmmakers Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor and Robert Kerr wanted to move beyond the limitations of traditional cinema. Along with engineer William Shaw, they developed a completely new projection system capable of producing images far larger and significantly sharper than conventional film.

The company was founded in 1967 and eventually established its headquarters in Mississauga, where it remains today.

Over nearly 60 years, IMAX has evolved from a Canadian engineering breakthrough into one of the world’s most recognizable entertainment technology companies.

Why IMAX is different

Most people think IMAX simply means watching a movie on a really big screen.

It’s actually much more than that.

Everything from the cameras used to shoot the movie to the projection system, theatre design and sound is engineered to create a more immersive experience.

Traditional movies were historically shot on 35 mm film. IMAX’s famous 70 mm film format captures dramatically more detail, producing brighter images, richer colours and exceptional clarity.

The screen itself is designed to fill much more of your field of vision, making viewers feel as though they’re inside the movie instead of simply watching it.

Even as digital projection has become the industry standard, IMAX has continued to develop new camera systems, laser projection technology, and next-generation audio that keep pushing the theatrical experience forward.

Christopher Nolan has helped push IMAX even further

No filmmaker has done more to showcase IMAX than Christopher Nolan.

Beginning with The Dark Knight in 2008, Nolan started filming key sequences using IMAX cameras before gradually expanding their use in films like Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet and the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer.

With The Odyssey, he has taken things to an entirely new level.

For decades, filming an entire movie using IMAX cameras simply wasn’t practical. The cameras were enormous, extremely loud and difficult to use during dialogue scenes.

Rather than compromise, Nolan challenged IMAX engineers to build something better.

Together, they developed a new generation of IMAX film cameras that are smaller, quieter and easier to use while still delivering the incredible image quality the format is famous for.

The result is The Odyssey, the first feature film ever shot entirely with IMAX film cameras.

It’s also a big moment for Mississauga

Every time audiences choose to see a movie in IMAX, they’re experiencing technology developed by a company that continues to call Mississauga home.

While IMAX has offices around the world, including New York, Los Angeles, London and Shanghai, its global headquarters remain in Mississauga.

That’s something many residents probably drive by every day without realizing the impact the company has had on global filmmaking.

When you think about some of the biggest movies ever made, from The Dark Knight and Interstellar to Oppenheimer and now The Odyssey, they all share one thing in common: IMAX.

And while Hollywood may get most of the attention, one of the companies helping shape the future of cinema continues to be based right here in Mississauga.

As The Odyssey opens in theatres around the world this weekend, it’s a reminder that one of Canada’s greatest innovations isn’t just part of movie history, it’s still helping write the next chapter from its headquarters in Mississauga.