In a historic first for moviegoing, Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey has sold out most of its Imax 70mm screenings a full year before hitting theaters.
Advance tickets quietly went on sale this week for the 17–19 July, 2026 weekend, with select Thursday previews on 16 July. Imax made the official announcement at midnight ET on Thursday via social media and within an hour, 95% of seats had been snapped up, according to exhibition sources told The Hollywood Reporter. Despite the limited number of seats, early sales totaled around $1.5 million, with some resellers already listing tickets on eBay for up to $400 apiece, which is above the standard $25–$28 price range.
The level of demand, as insiders told THR, is unprecedented. “By all accounts, it’s the first time in history that tickets have gone on sale a year before a film’s opening,” said one source familiar with the rollout.
Directed by Nolan and shot entirely on Imax film cameras—a first for a commercial feature—The Odyssey marks the filmmaker’s return after the box-office juggernaut Oppenheimer, which grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide, with $190 million coming from Imax alone.
Only about 25 to 26 Imax locations worldwide are part of this early 70mm format rollout, but sellouts are being reported coast to coast. Key venues like AMC Lincoln Square 13 in New York City, Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk Hollywood, and the Regal Irvine Spectrum in Orange County are already booked solid. In California, seats are nearly gone at major Imax sites in San Francisco, Dublin, and Ontario. The same story is playing out in cities like Fort Lauderdale, Buford, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, King of Prussia, and Dallas.
International demand has surged as well. In Canada, both the Cineplex Cinemas Mississauga Square and Cineplex Cinemas Vaughan in Toronto sold out quickly. Across the Atlantic, London’s BFI Imax and the Science Museum auditorium are already full, while seats are vanishing fast in Melbourne and the Czech Republic.
The Odyssey boasts a star-studded cast, led by Matt Damon as the mythic Greek hero Odysseus. The ensemble includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Jon Bernthal, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and Mia Goth.
With a reported net budget of $250 million, The Odyssey is Nolan’s most expensive film to date. The story, based on Homer’s epic poem, follows Odysseus on his perilous journey home from the Trojan War as he battles gods, monsters, and temptation—encountering the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, Circe, and even the Underworld on his way back to Penelope.
To further fuel anticipation, the first teaser trailer debuted exclusively in theaters earlier this month ahead of Universal’s Jurassic World: Rebirth, which continues to dominate box offices globally. Though the trailer has since leaked online, its limited theatrical run created a buzz that aligned perfectly with the early ticket release.
Reports also emerged that some theaters jumped the gun by posting advance ticket listings before the official Imax announcement, leading to leaks about the sales plan.
With a full year to go before The Odyssey hits screens, the fever-pitch demand only underscores Nolan’s singular status as a filmmaker who can command this level of audience excitement—and deliver cinematic events with the weight of mythology itself.
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