Moviegoers in Washington state seeking the complete visual experience of the new blockbuster film "The Odyssey" face a significant logistical hurdle: the state no longer operates a cinema capable of showing Hollywood feature films in the full-height 1.43:1 IMAX format.
Molly DeLano, a spokesperson for the Space Needle, told Axios that while the organization has "no immediate plans" to bring back feature films, it may consider specialized programming or film festivals in the future.
Marcus Baker noted that the theater previously served as a hub where teenagers and adults alike would wait for hours to secure the best seats for opening nights.
The Seattle venue had already stepped away from that elite group before the change in ownership.
This gap in the market could eventually entice a standard cinema chain to invest in a true 1.43:1 screen, but the high cost of urban real estate and specialized projection equipment makes such a move unlikely in the near term.
The Space Needle's acquisition of Seattle's only 1.43:1 IMAX screen ends feature film screenings, leaving fans to travel for The Odyssey.