Superstar director Christopher Nolan's new film, "The Odyssey," is packing theaters this weekend — but where should you see it?

Why it matters: The movie was meant for massive screens, and whether you're a dedicated cinephile or the casual "dinner and a show" type, Columbus has a theater for you.

Zoom in: Meant as a visual spectacle, "The Odyssey" was shot entirely on IMAX cameras. Nolan's preferred format is true 70mm film in an expanded 1.43:1 aspect ratio.

• The Gateway Film Center has Central Ohio's only 70mm showings, and tickets are scarce.
• We don't have a "true" IMAX screen — the nearest is in Indianapolis.

The best places to enjoy a film in Columbus:

📐 The biggest screen: Marcus Ultrascreen.

• Marcus Theatres' Ultrascreen DLX is a massive 70 feet wide and three stories tall — it's the closest we get to the true IMAX experience.
• Find it at Marcus locations in Pickerington and Crosswoods north of Worthington.

Honorable mention: IMAX Laser at the Phoenix Lennox Town Center.

• The Lennox's largest screen is just slightly smaller, and still an excellent place to see a blockbuster.

🔊 The most immersive sound: Dolby Cinema at AMC Easton.

• Specifically designed by the sound experts at Dolby, this screening room rattles your fillings and rumbles with the action.
• Great sound can be helpful for Nolan's notoriously quiet dialogue.

Honorable mention: Cinemark XD at Polaris.

• Cinemark's flagship theater is nearly as big as the Ultrascreen with great speakers.

🌎 Widest selection: Gateway Film Center.

• It may not have the biggest screen or the most concessions, but the Gateway will show that foreign film or indie darling everyone is talking about, along with specialty formats like 70mm film.
• The Film Center has been crucial in bringing festivals to Columbus and promoting local work.

Honorable mention: The Drexel.

• The 90-year-old Bexley classic does a great job of mixing blockbusters, indies and classic favorites.

👩‍❤️‍👨 Best date night: Studio 35.

• This Clintonville theater makes its bar and food the centerpiece, with tables for your pizza and dozens of beers on draft.
• Its screenings expanded significantly when it added a smaller upstairs theater in 2020.

Honorable mention: Grandview Theater.

• Under the same ownership group as Studio 35, Grandview's downtown theater is a vibrant spot.

📽️ Worthy of your time: More about the 70mm format from our friends at Axios Cleveland.

Columbus State Community College plans to put a property tax levy before November voters to fund a free tuition program for all new high school graduates who live in Franklin County.

Why it matters: College president David Harrison says this plan to expand free tuition would strengthen our local workforce by connecting more people with good-paying jobs.

• If approved, it would also offer discounted tuition to all other Franklin County residents —$1,000 less per academic year for a full-time student with 30 credit hours, per a news release.

State of play: Columbus State has offered free tuition to all Columbus City Schools graduates since 2022 through its Columbus Promise program.

• The college reports 80% of its graduates stay and work in Central Ohio.

Follow the money: The proposal would cost all Franklin County homeowners $67 for every $100,000 of home value, per unofficial estimates.

• It would generate $95 million annually.

The big picture: The request is a first for the college, made possible by a 2025 change in state law included in the biennial budget.

• In 2020, voters approved the college's first bond issue to support ongoing capital improvements on campus.

What's next: Aug. 5 is the deadline to place the tax issue on the Nov. 3 ballot.

• If passed, the new tuition rates would take effect in fall 2027.

Feeling like a cowboy in the summer heat? Find a hat, throw on your Daisy Dukes and lean in this weekend.

🤠 Our pick: Country music season.

🌟 The superstar: Cody Johnson's international tour stops at Nationwide Arena tonight and Saturday night.

• Johnson won Male Vocalist of the Year at last year's CMA Awards.
• Tickets start around $100.

🪕 The jam band: Kalamazoo's Greensky Bluegrass plays "not quite" bluegrass songs at Kemba Live tonight.

🎸 The country rockers: Georgia band Blackberry Smoke brings the "Rattle, Ramble and Roll Tour" to Kemba Saturday.

What else is happening:

🎭 Actors' Theatre of Columbus begins its run of the classic Shakespeare play "Othello" this weekend.

🎨 Downtown Lancaster's annual ArtWalk takes over the historic neighborhood tonight with artworks, food and music, as part of the ongoing Lancaster Festival.

🍿 Studio 35 screens "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny" Saturday night with a Kyle Gass Q&A after the movie.

⚽️ The Crew hosts one more watch party for the World Cup final Sunday afternoon.

🦠 Ohio Department of Health director Bruce Vanderhoff expects cyclosporiasis numbers to keep rising, and advises Ohioans to wash produce thoroughly. (Statehouse News Bureau)

✏️ Two-thirds of Ohio students are not proficient in fourth grade reading and eighth grade math, per new nationwide data. (Ohio Capital Journal)

📈 Ohio tourism hit new records last year, generating $58 billion in economic impact. (Columbus Business First 🔒)

👋 Alissa here. I never got to experience a Big Bear grocery store, being a Northern Ohio transplant who moved here long after the last ones closed in 2004.

Yes, but: The brand's legacy is so enduring that I immediately recognized this neon sign as a piece of local history when I recently visited Cincinnati's American Sign Museum.

Flashback: The Columbus-based chain opened its first store in 1934 near Ohio State.

• It was the Midwest's first self-service supermarket and the first in the country to use cashier-operated conveyor belts.

Fun fact: There was also a live, caged bear. That feature didn't age quite as well.

Stop by: The museum at 1330 Monmouth Ave. is a unique experience just 90 minutes away. Hours and tickets.

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