Just 48 hours after losing its IMAX footprint, The Odyssey has mounted a swift comeback across India, a reversal that underlines how strongly Christopher Nolan’s epic is still pulling audiences deep into its theatrical run.
What pushed exhibitors to act so quickly was the film’s staying power in the premium format. The Odyssey was still drawing strong occupancy at the end of its initial IMAX stretch, and once Toxic began to slow, theatres moved fast to restore one or two daily shows for Nolan’s film in several key markets.
The Imax Reversal Happened Fast
The speed of the reshuffle has become the real talking point. The Odyssey had completed 40 days in IMAX before being displaced to make room for Yash-led Toxic, but the Hollywood film was still delivering strong numbers right until its exit. It had already collected Rs. 90 crore from just 34 IMAX screens, making it one of the strongest large format performers in the market this year.
The occupancy trend explains the decision. On August 26, Toxic recorded 51.6% occupancy in IMAX while The Odyssey registered 48.7%. By August 27, Toxic had dropped sharply to 17.4%, while The Odyssey held at 37.6%. That shift was enough to prompt a quick programming rethink, with theatres reopening IMAX slots for The Odyssey far earlier than expected.
Screens Across India Reopen For The Odyssey
Among the cinemas that reinstated the film on August 28 were Cinepolis Seawoods and Cinepolis Thane near Mumbai, Cinepolis Aundh in Pune, PVR Palazzo and Inox Luxe in Chennai, and Cinepolis Centre Square in Kochi. More properties followed through the day, including PVR Lower Parel, Inox R City, Maison Inox, Miraj Wadala and Eros in Mumbai, along with IMAX locations in Delhi.
Some venues began with a single show before expanding to two from August 29, while others returned with two shows straight away. Broadway Cinemas in Coimbatore never dropped The Odyssey at all and continued to screen two shows even after the August 26 reset. Bengaluru remains the one major exception, with IMAX screens there still staying with Toxic at least through the weekend.
That split itself tells the story. In most centres, demand for The Odyssey has proven too strong to ignore, pushing exhibitors to rebalance premium screen allocation almost immediately.
Why This Imax Clash Matters
This was never just a routine scheduling adjustment. The Odyssey, released by Universal Pictures, is one of the rare event films built around the IMAX experience, with the studio positioning it as a major large format attraction. Toxic, directed by Geetu Mohandas and starring Yash, is also a scale-driven title that arrived with enormous premium screen expectations. When two films of that size collide over a limited IMAX network, every show becomes commercially significant.
That is what makes The Odyssey‘s return so notable. In a premium screen battle that initially swung toward Toxic, Nolan’s film forced its way right back into the IMAX conversation in just two days.
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