Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, The Odyssey, has triggered a wave of demand unlike anything seen in recent cinema. IMAX 70 mm screenings of the film sold out almost instantly after tickets went on sale—despite the movie not being scheduled for release until July 17, 2026, a full year away. The early presale marks the longest lead time in IMAX history, reflecting both the scarcity of available screenings and the intense anticipation surrounding Nolan’s latest epic.
The buzz is driven in part by the film’s unique production. Nolan is shooting the entire feature using custom-built 1570 IMAX film cameras, making The Odyssey the first film ever shot entirely in this large-format style. Only a limited number of theaters worldwide are equipped to screen 70 mm IMAX, adding urgency to ticket purchases. In the U.S., single showings per theater per day were snapped up in minutes. Cities with the rare 1570-capable projectors—such as Los Angeles, New York, London, and Melbourne—were flooded with traffic. Melbourne’s IMAX location alone reportedly sold over 1,800 tickets overnight. Some fans are already planning travel across state and national borders just to see the film in Nolan’s preferred format.
The rapid sellout has created an opening for scalpers, who are reselling tickets on sites like eBay for anywhere from $150 to over $700, depending on the location and seat. This has sparked frustration among moviegoers, with some calling the resale market exploitative and elitist.
However, theater operators urge fans not to panic. Industry insiders say the early ticket release was mostly symbolic—meant to showcase confidence in Nolan’s box office draw. They emphasize that more screenings will be added closer to the premiere, once the final runtime is confirmed. Officials describe the current scalping activity as “a drop in the ocean” compared to the full rollout planned.
In the meantime, The Odyssey has already positioned itself as one of the most anticipated cinematic events of 2026, with a theatrical release strategy that prioritizes both scale and spectacle.
