Christopher Nolan is known as one of the greatest defenders of the theatrical experience working today. He makes big movies designed to be seen on big screens. He also watches movies, including his own, on those big screens, even if that means he has to visit his local theme park in order to do so.
A clip is going viral on X that shows Christopher Nolan walking through the Universal CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood. Walking by the great director would certainly be a noteworthy experience for many, but it’s the added context for why Nolan was at CityWalk that makes the whole thing really interesting. It’s not because he wanted to stop by Voodoo Doughnuts or get a milkshake from the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium (I mean, he may have done that, too). It’s because of the the IMAX screen at the AMC theater.
It’s never not funny that Chris Nolan is so dedicated to IMAX that he chooses to walk past Margaritaville and Bubba Gump Shrimp to go to the special movie theater outside an amusement park whenever he wants to screen a cut of what he’s working on https://t.co/cXpJlyHDZDApril 2, 2026
Apparently Nolan isn’t visiting the theater because he wants to see Project Hail Mary in IMAX. He’s working, and he's using the theater’s IMAX screen to view the latest cut of The Odyssey as it moves toward its release later this summer. The Odyssey is a Universal Pictures production, so it makes sense Nolan would be in the area since the theme park is attached to the studio and a big part of the draw, and he might want to use the closest IMAX screen on hand.
Although that may not be the only reason he was in Universal CityWalk. Project Hail Mary co-director Phil Lord actually responded to the post, calling the CityWalk AMC IMAX the best in the area. He wrote…
A - as a South Floridian that Margaritaville is solid B - as someone who has also qc’d there it’s the best IMAX screen in LA!
I’m not sure I ever really thought about the fact that your average studio screening room probably doesn’t have an IMAX screen. So if you want to be able to see what your movie is really going to look like on a screen that size, and make any adjustments needed to improve it, you just need to go to an IMAX theater.
I’ll be honest, I would never have guessed that the best IMAX screen in Southern California was at the Universal CityWalk, but a quick search confirms that the Universal CityWalk AMC is one of the handful of theaters with 70MM IMAX film projectors, so it’s understandable why Nolan, who filmed all of The Odyssey with IMAX cameras, would want to see the movie that way.
As a theme park junkie who finds himself at Universal Studios Hollywood now and then, I’ll certainly be on the lookout for a good reason to check out an IMAX movie there in the future. I’ll also be on the lookout for Christopher Nolan and any other directors.
