Quentin Tarantino's 'The Hateful Eight' Will Be Released Exclusively In 70mm Film On Christmas Day

Quentin Tarantino's next film, "The Hateful Eight," will be released exclusively in 70mm on Christmas Day, the Weinstein Company announced Friday. The 70mm version of the film will be shown during a two-week roadshow around the country, and on Jan. 8, 2016, the digital version of Tarantino's Western will open nationally.

"The Hateful Eight" will mark the largest 70mm release in more than 20 years. Weinstein didn't disclose the number of theaters that will show this format. This won't be the first time the studio has released a film in 70mm. In 2012, Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" also received a limited 70mm release.

Last year, Kodak almost stopped making the required film stock. But Tarantino, Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight"), J.J. Abrams ("Star Trek") and other directors and studios lobbied the company to continue producing it, and eventually the studios and Kodak reached an agreement. Film stock of 70mm is preferred over digital and 35mm because it offers higher image resolution.

"The Hateful Eight," which stars Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson and Jennifer Jason Leigh, almost didn't get made. When a version of the script leaked in 2014, Tarantino sued Gawker (the lawsuit was eventually dropped) and said he wasn't going to make the film. Following the staged reading of the script in Los Angeles, however, an ad later confirmed that it was back on.