GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Celebration Cinema North announced Tuesday that the showings of "Oppenheimer" in IMAX 70mm film will be extended through Aug. 31.
The showings were originally scheduled to go through Aug. 17. There will only be a handful of showtimes each day after that day, officials say.
Tickets are expected to go on sale Wednesday.
Emily Loeks, director of community affairs for Studio C, said the decision to extend showings came after the huge turnout from moviegoers. She said since the movie's debut on July 21, each showtime has been sold out.
"'Oppenheimer' has become a phenomenon of a film," she said. "It's both an incredibly powerful and well-told story, but the dimension of Christopher Nolan's request to put this film on [70 mm film], which is an absolutely beautiful IMAX format, has drawn crowds for us that have come from as far as St. Louis."
The film, which weighs 600 pounds and is 11 miles in length, is only being shown in 30 other theaters worldwide. Theater officials say IMAX sent specialized projectionists to help ensure the film could be shown without issue.
Loeks said the reaction from the West Michigan community has been "magical," and that seeing "Oppenheimer" in 70mm film as director Christopher Nolan intended is a special experience.
"At the end of 'Oppenheimer,' I think that half the auditorium was a little bit choked up and in tears and to experience that with your community is something that's just unbelievable," she said.
Last month, a small section of the film was damaged at Celebration Cinema North. It took several days to repair. Celebration Cinema continued to show the damaged film with a 15-second section of picture missing, but with audio intact.
"Oppenheimer" raked in $80.5 million on its first weekend in theaters.
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