IMAX Unveils New 70mm Film Camera “Keighley,” Debuts on Nolan’s The Odyssey

December 22^nd, 20251

IMAX Unveils New 70mm Film Camera “Keighley,” Debuts on Nolan’s The Odyssey

by Nino LeitnerDecember 22^nd, 2025

IMAX has officially named its new, smaller and quieter 70mm film camera the “Keighley,” honoring the company’s late chief quality officer David Keighley and his wife Patricia, who continues to serve as IMAX’s chief quality guru. The camera makes its debut on Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey, which becomes the first theatrical release shot entirely with IMAX film cameras.

The naming announcement came via Geoff Keighley, the couple’s son and creator of The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest, who shared the news on X. David Keighley passed away on August 28, 2025, at age 77, just days after completing his review of dailies for The Odyssey. His career at IMAX spanned more than five decades, during which he oversaw post-production for more than 500 IMAX films and became instrumental in the format’s rise from niche documentary screenings to mainstream Hollywood blockbusters.

The new IMAX Keighley camera, named after IMAX chief quality officer David Keighley and his wife Patricia. Image credit: Geoff Keighley, via his Instagram

A quieter design changes everything

The Keighley camera represents a significant technical advancement over previous IMAX 70mm film systems. While earlier models were bulky, heavy, and notoriously loud, the new camera’s most significant improvement is reduced noise during operation. This seemingly simple change has profound implications for production workflows.

The sound issues with previous IMAX film cameras forced filmmakers like Nolan to use them selectively, switching between formats during dialogue-heavy scenes. Oppenheimer, despite its IMAX-forward presentation, could not be shot entirely with IMAX film cameras precisely because of these noise concerns. The Keighley changes that equation entirely.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey tickets for 70mm screenings have sold out within minutes – a year in advance. Image credit: Universal

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey makes history

With the quieter Keighley camera now available, Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic becomes the first theatrical feature shot entirely on IMAX film cameras. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, Nolan’s longtime collaborator who also shot Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet, and Oppenheimer, returns behind the lens for The Odyssey. The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, chronicling his legendary voyage home from the Trojan War, with a supporting cast that includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron.

Universal released a striking poster for the film this week showing what appears to be Damon’s Odysseus from behind, with a golden spine attached to the back of his helmet. A nearly six-minute prologue is currently showing exclusively in IMAX theaters alongside Avatar: Fire and Ash, giving audiences an early glimpse of what van Hoytema and the Keighley camera can deliver.

70mm film screenings sell out a year in advance

The appetite for seeing The Odyssey as Nolan intended has already proven extraordinary. When tickets went on sale in July 2025 for opening weekend IMAX 70mm film projection screenings, 95% of seats sold out within an hour, generating approximately $1.5 million in sales across just 26 theaters worldwide. These venues represent the limited number of locations equipped with true 15/70 film projection capabilities: 16 in the United States, six in Canada, two in the United Kingdom (including BFI IMAX in London), one in Australia, and one in the Czech Republic.

This sell-out applies specifically to authentic IMAX 70mm film projection, not the broader network of roughly 1,800 digital IMAX screens worldwide. Only one showtime per theater was initially made available for each of the first four days of release (July 16-19, 2026). IMAX has indicated that additional 70mm locations and showtimes will be announced closer to the film’s release, and standard digital IMAX screenings along with conventional theatrical runs will offer far greater availability for audiences unable to secure 70mm tickets.

Patricia Keighley, Chief Quality Guru at IMAX Corporation, standing proudly next to the IMAX Keighley camera which was named after her and her late husband. Image credit: Geoff Keighley via his Instagram

A legacy spanning five decades

David Keighley first entered the large-format industry in 1972 alongside Patricia, his wife and business partner. Inspired by their experience watching IMAX’s North of Superior, the newlyweds founded large-format post-production company David Keighley Productions that same year. They also co-directed the IMAX film Catch the Sun in 1972, quickly forming a lasting partnership with IMAX that would see them work on every one of the company’s releases.

In 1988, DKP 70MM was acquired by IMAX, and both Keighleys formally joined the team. For decades, no IMAX film print left the lab without David Keighley’s personal approval. His meticulous attention to detail often saw him flying to IMAX screenings around the world to personally check on projection quality.

IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond described Keighley as close to the human embodiment of IMAX as there has ever been. The David Keighley Theater at IMAX’s Los Angeles offices was dedicated by Christopher Nolan himself in 2015.

Chris Nolan alongside IMAX pioneer David Keighley, who passed away at 77 in September 2025. Image credit: IMAX

Filmmakers remember a trusted partner

Nolan’s tribute to Keighley speaks to the profound impact he had on contemporary large-format filmmaking. According to Nolan, Keighley’s expertise and collaborative spirit put IMAX cameras into his hands for the first time and opened Hollywood’s eyes to the power of the format, starting with The Dark Knight. Nolan also credited Keighley with helping rally filmmakers and studios to ensure continued photochemical film production when the format faced an existential threat a decade ago.

Ryan Coogler, who worked with Keighley on Sinners, described becoming fond of visiting David and Patricia during IMAX review screenings. Coogler noted that anyone who has ever had their mind blown by the images in an IMAX theatrical presentation has David Keighley to thank for it.

The future of IMAX filmmaking

The Keighley camera arrives as IMAX continues its remarkable growth trajectory. The company achieved an estimated $1.2 billion in box office revenue in 2025 across its roughly 1,800 screens in 90 countries. The “Filmed for IMAX” program has expanded to 14 titles in 2025, doubling the previous year’s total.

Denis Villeneuve has also utilized the new IMAX 70mm cameras for scenes in the upcoming Dune: Part Three, suggesting the Keighley’s quieter operation is already attracting filmmakers who previously relied on digital alternatives or used IMAX film cameras sparingly.

The Odyssey arrives exclusively in theaters on July 17, 2026.

What do you think of IMAX naming its new camera after the Keighley family, and are you excited to see what Nolan and van Hoytema achieve with an entire film shot on IMAX film cameras? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below.