A Mini IMAX Camera Just Became the Coolest Way to Hold Popcorn at The Odyssey Screenings

Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film has already sparked plenty of conversation, but one of the quickest sellouts tied to it did not involve tickets or posters. Instead, it was a limited-run popcorn container modeled directly after the large-format film camera Nolan has long praised as his go-to tool.

On June 18, the IMAX web store launched their limited edition item, which quickly sold out. This thing originally cost $50, but it’s currently available on resale sites for two or three times that price. What they came up with was far more than a conventional bucket with a logo on the side. Designers worked hard to build an object that resembles the real IMAX 15/65mm camera body that has been used behind the scenes in several of Nolan’s previous works, and it is now also the main camera in The Odyssey. The end result is somewhere between a cool keepsake and a rather functional prop.

You have a large rectangular piece on the side that holds the popcorn and has clean “IMAX THE ODYSSEY” branding in blue and black on it. The camera body is then mounted on top, complete with lens barrel details, adjuster knobs, and a viewfinder, all of which are fairly accurate. Overall the object measures around 14 inches long, 6.25 inches wide and 5.3 inches tall, & the weight is around 1.26 pounds once you’ve removed the eyepiece.

The materials are rather simple, consisting of injection-molded polymers such as acrylic, polypropylene, and ABS, so it’s durable enough to withstand a few trips to the theater while yet being light enough to carry without being a nuisance. They add a small LED light and an LR1130 battery. When you turn on the light and look through the viewfinder, you’ll see a still image from The Odyssey in the unique 1.43:1 enlarged aspect ratio that IMAX uses on their largest displays.

The fact that the light has transformed that simple bucket into something more than simply a bowl; even if the lights are turned off and the trailers are playing, a quick look through the eyepiece gives you a tiny little sampling of the film’s scale before the main feature begins. Early photos show Nolan himself handing over a device to cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema and demonstrating the viewfinder during advertising events. It has a decent capacity for popcorn.

IMAX describes the project as a tribute to both their groundbreaking film technology and the art of large-format filmmaking. Nolan has been gushing about their camera system as the “gold standard” for years, and The Odyssey is only the latest chapter in that collaboration. This is essentially a pocket-sized salute to the same equipment that will eventually project the film in its proper format on the biggest screens.
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