With Dunkirk just a couple weeks away, Warner Bros. has announced that Christopher Nolan’s latest film will be released in 70mm across 120 theaters, the highest number for the format in 25 years.
70mm is used for wide high-resolution film, once being a hallmark of the industry and used for big, cinematic films like Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur. Its also been considered a dying breed as the industry and directors have moved more towards digital film. Even theater chains have been eager to make the switch since digital projectors and copies are easier to maintain, though 70mm is still a favourite among film enthusiasts.
Directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino have been vocal proponents of the 70mm format. Tarintino’s last film, The Hateful Eight, even received the same treatment and was released on 100 70mm screens. Nolan did film Dunkirk with 70mm cameras, a costly expense that studios usually reserve now for big films or directors with a lot of clout. Dunkirk will also be released in IMAX 70mm venues.
“Dunkirk opens as hundreds of thousands of British and Allied troops are surrounded by enemy forces. Trapped on the beach with their backs to the sea they face an impossible situation as the enemy closes in.”
Dunkirk is set for release on July 21st 2017 and features a cast that includes Nolan regulars Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy alongside Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, Jack Lowden, James D’Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Tom Glynn-Carney and newcomer Fionn Whitehead.
Originally published July 5, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
