One of the city’s most immersive film experiences is back in full force. The 70MM Film Festival at Chicago’s beloved Music Box Theatre runs August 8 through 21, offering two weeks of towering visuals, rare archival prints, and theatrical magic.
This edition of the festival is bringing back the Ultra Panavision 70mm format to present It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Alongside it is Sinners, the incredible new film from Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, making its 70mm debut in Chicago. Both films showcase the bold, large-scale storytelling the format was made for.
There’s more archival magic in store for this year’s festival. Universal Pictures has unearthed a vintage 70mm blowup print of Backdraft, letting Ron Howard’s firefighter drama burn bigger and brighter than it has in decades. Disney has also allowed the Music Box to screen their archival 70mm prints of Sleeping Beauty and Cleopatra, adding both animated fantasy and Roman spectacle to the mix.
Perennial favorites like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia both return this year, and for the first time since its original release, Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk returns to the Music Box. While the large-format screen is in place for the festival, the Music Box is also offering a DCP screening of Top Gun: Maverick, a rare chance to see the high-flying blockbuster on a screen big enough to match its energy.
The Music Box Lounge & Garden is also joining the celebration with two featured cocktails inspired by this year’s films. For Sinners, the Juke Joint offers a bold Blood Orange Paper Plane made with Rittenhouse Rye, Aperol Aperitivo, Averna Sicilano Amaro, lemon juice, and blood orange syrup, finished with an orange wedge. Sleeping Beauty gets a sweeter spin with a blueberry mojito featuring Bacardi Superior White Rum, blueberry purée, lime juice, club soda, and fresh mint. Both cocktails are also available as non-alcoholic versions made with Seedlip.
There’s nothing quite like seeing a film in 70mm, and the Music Box continues to make that experience something special. From rare prints to modern epics, and a few themed drinks to toast along the way, this year’s festival is a celebration of big-screen spectacle, analog beauty, and the joy of watching movies together.
The Music Box 70MM Film Festival runs August 8 through 21, at 3733 N. Southport Ave. Tickets and the full schedule are available online.
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