Can 85,000 Belgian bookings make Brussels’ costly IMAX 70mm bet pay off?

Kinepolis has sold or reserved about 85,000 tickets in Belgium for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey”, La DH reported on 13 August, giving the Belgian cinema group an unusually strong opening test for its new IMAX 70mm capability at Kinepolis Brussels. The complex at Heysel is the only cinema in the Benelux able to project the film in that analogue format, but neither Kinepolis nor IMAX has disclosed enough cost and revenue data to establish whether the investment has already paid for itself.

For Belgian cinema-goers, the immediate result is tangible: Brussels has joined a very small European circuit capable of presenting the film in Nolan’s preferred format. BRUZZ reported that 7,000 people attended the Brussels IMAX 70mm screenings during the film’s first five days, around twice the audience recorded for the cinema’s analogue screenings of “Oppenheimer” over its opening weekend. Kinepolis consequently extended the run, while demand also drew visitors from neighbouring countries. Stijn Vanspauwen, Kinepolis Belgium’s country manager for box office sales and marketing, told BRUZZ that roughly 10% of the initial IMAX 70mm audience came from abroad, including one visitor from Copenhagen.

That makes the project more than a conventional Belgian release. Brussels is functioning as a regional cinema destination for viewers from the Netherlands, northern France and farther afield, although that cultural pull should not be confused with the city’s role as the seat of EU institutions. No Belgian government or EU body financed or formally endorsed the commercial installation in the sources reviewed, and there is no evident reason for political officials to take a position on its profitability.

The 85,000 figure nevertheless does not answer the central business question. Ticket sales for “The Odyssey” cover several Belgian cinemas and presentation formats; they cannot automatically be treated as 85,000 admissions to the single Brussels 70mm auditorium. Nor does gross box-office revenue flow entirely to Kinepolis: distributors, taxes and operating expenses take shares, while analogue projection requires specialist staff, handling of a large film print and equipment maintenance. Kinepolis has described the installation as a substantial investment but has not published its precise cost, depreciation schedule or revenue-sharing terms.

The premium is considerable. Kinepolis lists a standard Brussels ticket at €14.70, with supplements for IMAX and long films, while reported prices for the special “Odyssey” presentation reached roughly €31. Strong occupancy at that level improves the economics, but a calculation based simply on ticket price multiplied by attendance would overstate the operator’s return.

International results strengthen the commercial case. The Associated Press reported that “The Odyssey” opened with $264.1 million worldwide and generated $51.8 million through IMAX screens in its first weekend. Only 41 cinemas worldwide could then show the film in IMAX 70mm, yet those venues contributed $6.3 million. IMAX chief executive Rich Gelfond presented the format as a major reason the release became a global event; that is the international industry view Kinepolis is testing locally.

The more cautious Belgian reading is that one Nolan blockbuster cannot by itself prove a durable market. Brussels previously operated an IMAX auditorium from the complex’s opening in 1988, but Kinepolis closed it between 2005 and 2016 because too few suitable films were available, according to BRUZZ. The new projector therefore becomes easier to justify only if studios continue supplying compatible releases and audiences repeatedly accept premium prices.

The clearest conclusion is that “The Odyssey” has validated demand, not yet disclosed profitability. Future IMAX 70mm releases, the number of additional screenings and Kinepolis Group’s financial reporting will show whether Brussels has acquired a lasting regional attraction or an exceptional machine built around an exceptional film.