METRO ATLANTA — If your Sunday plan is still blank, the city and suburbs are not short on options.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is packing the only 70mm IMAX screen in Georgia — Regal Mall of Georgia in Buford — hard enough that the theater has run 24-hour operations Thursday through Monday since the film’s late-July U.S. release. FOX 5 Atlanta’s Aug. 7–9 things-to-do list, meanwhile, flags anniversary parties, free concerts, and family festivals still live across the weekend.
The Odyssey, on real film, at odd hours
Per the AJC’s on-the-ground feature, more than 200 people filled a 7:30 a.m. screening on a recent weekday. The movie, released July 17 in the U.S., was described as the first feature shot entirely with IMAX cameras. The 70mm IMAX presentation delivers a taller aspect ratio and more picture information than many digital crops; only about 25 U.S. theaters offer that physical-film experience.
Regal Mall of Georgia is the state’s only 70mm IMAX house in the AJC’s account. High demand pushed some shows to book out weeks ahead, with multiple daily screenings including early-morning and late inventory. Ticket prices run higher than a standard show — the paper noted roughly double a regular ticket for the premium format — which is the tradeoff for the larger image and film projection.
Bookstore spillover is part of the same story: Atlanta Vintage Books told the AJC that classics-section traffic and Homer-related interest picked up as locals rewatched or prepared for the movie. That is a soft cultural indicator, not a box-office chart, but it explains why a Sunday matinee can still feel like an event three weeks after opening weekend.
Manuel’s Tavern turns 70
FOX 5 listed Manuel’s Tavern’s 70th-anniversary celebration across Aug. 6–9 at the Poncey-Highland landmark. The station described discounted food specials, live performances, entertainment, and limited-edition anniversary T-shirts across a four-day party for one of Atlanta’s longest-running political and neighborhood bars.
If you have not been since the World Cup summer crowds thinned, anniversary weekend is a structured excuse: show up early for seating, expect a mix of regulars and nostalgia tourists, and treat the T-shirt drop as first-come inventory rather than a guaranteed take-home.
Free and low-cost leftovers from the FOX 5 list
Several Aug. 8–9 adjacent items remain useful Sunday planning fodder even after Saturday’s headliners:
- Artlanta Festival of Culture (Aug. 7–9, Piedmont Park) — free visual art, music, dance, murals, and artisan markets.
- Monsterama Con (Aug. 7–9, Atlanta Marriott Northeast/Emory Area) — classic horror and sci-fi guests, vendors, and screenings; single-day tickets from about $30.
- Atlanta Black Restaurant Week (through Aug. 16, ATL Airport District communities) — two weeks of Black-owned restaurants and food trucks across Fairburn, Hapeville, South Fulton, and Union City.
- Suwanee August Concert (Aug. 8 listing) — free Town Center Park show with The Calling; useful if you are northside and want outdoor music without a ticket lottery.
- Coming Aug. 13–15 on the same FOX 5 slate: Summer NewnaNights, Ricky Skaggs in Canton, and more suburban concert nights for planners thinking past Sunday.
Always re-check venue pages before driving: outdoor sets move for storms, and anniversary menus sell out.
Film-town context for the same weekend
Separately, the AJC’s August film roundup said Georgia’s active production count on the state film office site rebounded to 23 projects from a July low of 13, with names including Dwayne Johnson’s “Lizard Music,” Pete Davidson’s “Tommy Karate,” Kristen Stewart’s “The Challenger,” and the Hulu/Disney+ version of “The Circle.” That is a workforce and traffic story as much as a celebrity one — more basecamps, more night shoots, more “which street is closed” texts in intown neighborhoods.
How to build a sane Sunday
Pick one premium thing (Odyssey 70mm or Manuel’s anniversary) and one free outdoor stop (Piedmont Artlanta or a farmers market leftover from Saturday). Leave buffer for I-85/Buford traffic if you are chasing the Mall of Georgia screen. Bring water; NWS Atlanta’s weekend pattern still carries heat and late-day storm odds.
Sources for this planner: AJC Odyssey IMAX feature and Georgia film production update; FOX 5 Atlanta’s Aug. 7–9 metro events list. Event details can change — confirm tickets and hours on official venue sites before you leave.
