"Oppenheimer" in widescreen 70mm at Music Box in July

Reliably the widest game in a town full of panoramic diversions, the Music Box Theatre's 70 millimeter festival, 2023 edition, arrives with a new name.

It's "New Adventures in 70MM," featuring a quartet of freshly struck wide-gauge film prints preceding the July 20 premiere of Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," about the planet-altering birth of the atomic age. That film, one of the summer's most anticipated titles, will then play an extended Music Box run (and select theaters elsewhere) on 70mm film.

The festival's titles, in order of historical appearance: Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights" (1997); Nolan's "Inception" (2010); Jordan Peele's watch-the-skies fantasy "Nope" (2022); and Damien Chazelle's "Babylon" (2022). They’ll be shown July 13-19 at the Music Box on Southport Avenue, opening on the 13th th Anderson's teeming, sardonic portrait of theLos Angeles pornography ecosystem starring Mark Wahlberg and, in his only Academy Award-nominated role, Burt Reynolds.

"Oppenheimer" will play several weeks at the theater. During that run, the Music Box's specially commissioned 70mm print of "2001: A Space Odyssey" — reliably the most popular title in the theater's previous 70mm festivals — returns for three bonus screenings, dates to be announced, made available to Music Box members.

From left, Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Brandon Perea in a scene from "Nope." (Universal Pictures/AP)

"New Adventures in 70MM" represents a smaller collection of titles than the Music Box's previous festivals, without the traditional reliance on widescreen warhorses dominating past years’ calendars such as "West Side Story," or "Spartacus," or "Lawrence of Arabia."

There's a reason for that, says Music Box technical director Julian Antos, one of a team of projectionists well-versed in wrangling enormous cans of wondrous, fragrant, enticing analog photochemical film.

This year's films all came from contemporary directors devoted to the 70mm film format, albeit in different ways and "workflows," says Antos. "Boogie Nights" was filmed on 35mm, and the recently struck 70mm print should look "very, very, very nice," he says.

"Nope" was shot almost entirely on 65mm film, nearly half the footage using IMAX cameras, plus 35mm film for a few scenes. From that, a digital intermediate was made for the movie's digitally projected run in multiplexes. A 70mm film print came after that, as part of the film's awards-season campaign — to no avail for "Nope" Oscars-wise, but to plenty of avail for 70mm film fans.

"Babylon" and "Inception" followed similar workflows, both filmed in 35mm, which led to a digital intermediate, and then back to film for 70mm screenings such as next month's at the Music Box.

What's all that mean for the actual visual experience of watching a movie in 70mm?

Cillian Murphy in a scene from "Oppenheimer." (Universal Pictures/AP)

"The end result," Antos says, "the prints we’re showing — all but ‘Inception’ are brand new. This is the finest quality you can get with a projected image, in terms of light, and color and sharpness. The depth of the image has this wonderful texture and weight to it that's just so … " Brief pause, then the word comes to him: "pleasant."

The real test, Antos says, requires some field work. "If you’re at a multiplex, and you open the door to one of the auditoriums and check out the "Super Mario Bros" movie or one of the Marvel movies, you’re going to see something that looks a certain way." A little dingy. A little clinical. A lot of underlit green-screen murk.

Compared to that visual experience, July's Music Box 70mm festival "should be a nice chance for people to see images thoughtfully made for their enjoyment."

JULY 13: "Boogie Nights" 7:30 p.m.

JULY 14: "Inception" 6:45 p.m.; "Nope" 10 p.m.

JULY 15: "Nope" 3:15 p.m.; "Boogie Nights" 6:30 p.m.; "Inception" 10 p.m.

JULY 16: "Babylon" 1 p.m.; Inception" 5 p.m.; "Boogie Nights" 8:30 p.m.

JULY 17: "Boogie Nights" 3:30 p.m.; "Inception" 7:15 p.m.

JULY 18: "Inception" 3:30 p.m.; "Nope" 7:15 p.m.

JULY 19: "Nope" 4 p.m.; "Babylon" 7:15 p.m.

JULY 20: "Oppenheimer" 5 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.

Individual tickets for "New Adventures in 70MM" are $15, $12 for Music Box members. Four-film passes $43, $37 for members. Running July 13-20 at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave.; musicboxtheatre.com

Update: This story has been changed to correct the festival schedule.

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

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