IMAX 70mm Comes to Chicagoland This Summer

The marquee at the Woodridge Cinemark in
Woodridge, Illinois. (Isabella Sarussi-Barys)

Cinephiles, unite: An IMAX 70MM projection system is coming to the Chicago suburbs this summer. The lucky theater is the Cinemark Seven Bridges in Woodridge. Announced in October 2025, the projector is set to be ready for the release of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” in July.

The Woodridge Cinemark is one of three Cinemark locations across the country receiving an IMAX 70MM projection system. In fact, there are only about 30 theaters in the entire world that have proper IMAX 70MM projectors. The closest to Elmhurst is in Indianapolis at the Indiana State Museum, about 200 miles away.

The Woodridge Cinemark currently has the ability to show movies in IMAX digital format. Installing a projector with IMAX 70MM brings a top-notch experience for viewers. The screen is huge, the colors are vibrant, and the sound is booming.

Screens are about 60 by 80 feet, with a 1:43 aspect ratio, meaning that the width of the screen is 1.43 times the size of the height. The film fills the entire screen (no black bars on the top and bottom!), creating an immersive experience. There are speakers throughout the entire theater, drawing the audience in entirely.

Movies are typically shown at the theater in a digital format, which is comparable to the quality of 35MM film. The next step up is 70MM film, which is two times as wide, meaning that there is a better resolution that viewers are seeing on screen. IMAX 70MM film is the size of three 70MM film cells on top of each other, but rotated sideways. This means that the film that viewers see has extremely high resolution, making the image full and rich.

The Woodridge Cinemark will be playing true, 15-perf 70MM film, with a full-size, 60 by 80-foot IMAX screen. Honestly, it’s a dream come true for moviegoers, and July is only getting closer. The theater is practically in Elmhurst’s backyard and has pricing consistent with other movie theaters in the area.

It is unknown whether the theater will run special programming after the run of “The Odyssey” is over, but films like “Sinners,” “Oppenheimer,” and “Project Hail Mary” would be obvious choices. All three releases were filmed on IMAX cameras and had viewers flocking to other states to see them.

IMAX 70MM is marketed as making viewers feel like they are part of the action. So that means, this summer, viewers can feel like they are in the Trojan Horse with Matt Damon. Score!