Christopher Nolan has, by any account, had a banner year with B次元官网网址淥ppenheimer.B次元官网网址� But B次元官网网址淭enetB次元官网网址� was still on his mind.

The starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson was , when many theaters were open internationally but not yet in New York and Los Angeles. And all those IMAX 70mm and 70mm film prints, which proved so were just sitting around.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a film that was designed, almost more than any IB次元官网网址檝e made, to be enjoyed in this form,B次元官网网址� Nolan told The Associated Press. B次元官网网址淲hen I heard they were going to be making film prints on B次元官网网址楧une: Part Two,B次元官网网址� I jumped at that and thought what if we opened up the week before? We can dust off the projectors.B次元官网网址�

Nolan showed one to Warner Bros. film chiefs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca, and B次元官网网址渢hey got it.B次元官网网址�

Beginning Feb. 23, B次元官网网址淭enetB次元官网网址� , .

Longtime friends, Nolan and Denis Villeneuve spoke to the AP last week, outside of a sold out showing of the re-release, about B次元官网网址淭enet,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淒une: Part Two,B次元官网网址� and the sense that, a decade after Kodak almost stopped making film altogether, movie audiences are embracing and rallying around film too.

Below are excerpts from the conversation, which has been edited for clarity and brevity.

AP: I spoke to people who held off on seeing B次元官网网址淭enetB次元官网网址� entirely, holding on to the hope that it would get a proper re-release.

NOLAN: For me, living in Los Angeles, I never got to see it with an audience. It came to streaming first here, so this is a really fun opportunity to get it in front of people the way it was intended. The thing with B次元官网网址淭enetB次元官网网址� is, I think of all the films I have made, itB次元官网网址檚 the one thatB次元官网网址檚 very much about the experience of watching films. ItB次元官网网址檚 about watching spy movies in a way. It tries to build on that experience and take it to this very magnified, slightly crazy place. A lot of that is about sound and music and this huge image.

More than any film IB次元官网网址檝e made, B次元官网网址淭enetB次元官网网址� was designed to have this very theatrical, IMAX, larger than life identity.

AP: B次元官网网址淒une: Part TwoB次元官网网址� was shot on IMAX digital but will be shown in film. Can you explain how this works?

VILLENEUVE: It was not planned that I would get an IMAX film release. It was a bit like a gift from life, the movie being delayed because of the . Someone came with the idea to try it. They mentioned this once and then I was like a dog not letting it go. The idea to experiment, and, frankly, Chris will say B次元官网网址渃heatB次元官网网址� becauseB次元官网网址�

NOLAN: I wasnB次元官网网址檛 going to say that!

VILLENEUVE: But still, I left film a long time ago. Or, I didnB次元官网网址檛 leave film, film left me and my heart was broken.

NOLAN: Film wants you back.

VILLENEUVE: IB次元官网网址檓 flirting with the idea, Chris Nolan.

I cannot give numbers, but I know that many of the pre-sales for B次元官网网址淒une: Part TwoB次元官网网址� are in 70mm. ThereB次元官网网址檚 the notion of an event and that is something people are starving for, they are craving it.

NOLAN: As filmmakers weB次元官网网址檙e competing with incredible home technology. We have to raise our game, but itB次元官网网址檚 great to see a new generation seeing what the difference is. ThereB次元官网网址檚 an emotional response to it that I think is very hard to quantify. ItB次元官网网址檚 hard to justify to the studio sometimes. So itB次元官网网址檚 wonderful when they look at the numbers and they see that they sell more tickets that way, because audiences get something.

VILLENEUVE: The idea to put B次元官网网址淒uneB次元官网网址� on film didnB次元官网网址檛 come from me, to be honest. It came from Warners.

NOLAN: IB次元官网网址檓 admitting nothing, but we might have pointed out to them some of the numbers that we made.

VILLENEUVE: It always ends up being about the money.

NOLAN: I just like hearing the guy who made B次元官网网址淒une TwoB次元官网网址� be like B次元官网网址渋tB次元官网网址檚 all about money.B次元官网网址� IB次元官网网址檝e seen that film. ThatB次元官网网址檚 not a cheap film, my friend.

VILLENEUVE: I have a question for you Chris. You must have strong shoulders because you were able to keep film alive by yourself. YouB次元官网网址檙e pretty stubborn, my friend, but was there a moment where you felt a bit alone?

NOLAN: Emma was always on the exact same page. I think it would have been very hard if my producing partner hadnB次元官网网址檛 understood it the same way I understood it, emotionally. IB次元官网网址檝e never felt on my own because it was always at least the two of us together. (But) there was a strange feeling of, hang on, how can it come down to this? WeB次元官网网址檝e achieved this incredible goal to be able to make films on a large scale, surely they wonB次元官网网址檛 take the tools away at the last minute.

VILLENEUVE: I think thatB次元官网网址檚 the way movies will survive. Large formats, like IMAX more precisely, is definitely the future of cinema because you cannot reproduce that at home. Not even in your home.

NOLAN: Well, mineB次元官网网址檚 pretty good (laughs).

VILLENEUVE: Yours is the BEST. But itB次元官网网址檚 not IMAX.