Cinema VinesAfter a historic 40‑day run, the Indian epic The Odyssey was pulled from all IMAX screens on August 26 to make way for the Yash‑starrer Toxic, according to a report by Bollywood Hungama. The decision was driven by distributors who insisted that Toxic occupy every IMAX slot, even though The Odyssey had been drawing steady crowds and had already grossed a record ₹90 crore from just 34 IMAX theatres.
Despite its removal, The Odyssey continued to post encouraging occupancy figures. On its final day, the film ran at 43% occupancy, a figure that surprised many and hinted at untapped potential. Warner Bros., the film’s distributor, had requested only a single IMAX show from August 26 onward, but the demand was rejected because Toxic distributors wanted full coverage.
When Toxic failed to meet expectations, IMAX venues were given permission to reinstate The Odyssey. The turnaround was swift: within two days of its removal, the epic was back on screens across India, except in Bengaluru. Cinemas such as Cinepolis Seawoods and Thane, Cinepolis Aundh in Pune, PVR Palazzo and Inox Luxe in Chennai, and Cinepolis Centre Square in Kochi began showing the film on August 28, followed by a wave of additional theatres including PVR Lower Parel, Inox R City, Maison Inox, Miraj Wadala and Eros.
In Mumbai, PVR Lower Parel and Cinepolis Seawoods now offer two shows each, while Delhi’s IMAX houses a single screening. Pune’s Cinepolis Aundh and Inox Megaplex, along with Inox Megaplex in Lucknow, will increase to two shows from tomorrow. Rajhans Surat, Inox South City Kolkata, and PVR Palladium are also adding multiple slots. Broadway Cinemas in Coimbatore, the sole IMAX venue that never dropped the film, will continue to run two shows.
Bengaluru remains the only city where IMAX screens are still dedicated to Toxic without accommodating The Odyssey, at least until the weekend. On August 26, Toxic posted 51.6% occupancy in IMAX versus 48.7% for The Odyssey; the next day, Toxic fell sharply to 17.4% while The Odyssey held steady at 37.6%. With the epic back in IMAX, industry watchers are watching to see if it can break the ₹100 crore mark.
