Christopher Nolan discusses the logistical and technical hurdles of filming "The Odyssey" in IMAX

Christopher Nolan told "CBS Mornings" that he anticipated the production of "The Odyssey" would be difficult because of its scale and the decision to shoot entirely in IMAX. The epic, filmed across six countries, has generated more than $260 million in global box-office revenue since its release.

Nolan said the project required extensive physical effort, noting that crews often had to hike to remote locations such as mountain tops to capture footage. He explained that shooting in IMAX limited each take to roughly three minutes, forcing the cast to maintain emotional continuity while the camera was reloaded.

"The film is huge… after each sort of just under three minutes, you run out of film," Nolan said.

Actor Matt Damon described the shoot as resembling an expedition, adding that the demanding environments added a sense of enjoyment for the team.

"It felt in a lot of ways more like an expedition than a movie because of the locations we were at," Damon said.

Nolan emphasized his preference for practical locations over green-screen work, arguing that real settings enhance audience immersion. He recalled his teenage ambition to direct a Hollywood film entirely in IMAX, citing the format’s clarity and peripheral vision coverage as key to the viewing experience.

"It immerses you. The image is so sharp, the color is so clear. It fills your peripheral vision when it's on the biggest screen possible," he said.

Despite the film’s commercial success, Nolan said he still feels nervous about audience reception, noting that a film is not complete until viewers respond.

"I make films for audiences, for the theater, for the cinema, and so for me, the movie's really not done until the audience kind of tells me what it is. That's what completes the film. It's exciting, but it's scary," he said.