On August 26, news broke out about the film The Odyssey, which had been showing in IMAX for an impressive 40 days, being pulled from theatres to make way for Toxic, a film starring Yash. The Odyssey performed exceptionally well, grossing a remarkable Rs. 90 crores with just 34 IMAX screens, maintaining solid audience numbers even as its run approached the end. This news sparked widespread conversation among fans.
Just two days after Toxic took over, it became clear that the audience preferred The Odyssey, leading to its return to IMAX screens across the country, excluding Bengaluru. A source revealed that The Odyssey recorded a striking 43% occupancy on its final day, indicating strong ongoing interest. Warner Bros, the film’s distributor, had requested at least one show in IMAX starting August 26 due to the continued demand, but the distributors of Toxic initially rejected that request, wanting all IMAX screens for their own film.
However, because Toxic did not perform as well as expected, many theatres were quick to bring back The Odyssey. This unexpected turnaround shocked everyone, as it wasn’t anticipated to happen so soon.
As of August 28, various cinemas like Cinepolis Seawoods and Cinepolis Thane near Mumbai, along with others across Pune, Chennai, and Kochi, started screening The Odyssey again. Several more theatres followed suit throughout the day. For instance, PVR Lower Parel and Cinepolis Seawoods are showcasing two shows, while IMAX cinemas in Delhi have added one show each. Certain theatres, like Cinepolis Aundh and Inox Megaplex, are planning to increase the number of shows in the upcoming days.
Meanwhile, Broadway Cinemas in Coimbatore had never stopped showing The Odyssey, remaining the only IMAX theatre in India to keep the film running. Bengaluru, however, is still sticking exclusively to Toxic at IMAX.
Occupancy rates showed a notable contrast between the two films: on August 26, Toxic registered 51.6%, while The Odyssey followed closely with 48.7%. By August 27, Toxic’s occupancy plummeted to 17.4%, whereas The Odyssey remained steady at 37.6%.
With The Odyssey now back in IMAX screens, fans are eagerly wondering if it will surpass the Rs. 100 crore milestone.
