Tickets went on sale Thursday for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the Oppenheimer director’s hotly anticipated take on the classic Greek myth starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Jon Bernthal, and Zendaya. Only select showtimes at theaters with IMAX 70mm screens were available, leading to a frenzy to nab tickets for opening night on July 16, 2026—most theaters sold out. (Other showtimes will likely be made available much, much closer to that release date.)
What would possess people around the world to scramble to purchase movie tickets a full year in advance? We spoke to Nolan fans across the globe who are planning to take planes, trains, and automobiles now that they’ve secured their tickets.
Ruhaan Shah woke up at 4:30 am and checked the BFI (British Film Institute) website. In Ahmedabad, India, right now, the 23-year-old student said he was “fairly confident” he’d be back in the UK for The Odyssey opening night. And so he could pursue his PhD. But priorities.
He set an alarm thinking tickets would go on sale at 12 am BST. They didn’t, and he went back to bed, waking up again just 15 minutes before they went live. “The London Cinema Vanguards WhatsApp group immediately posted when tickets went public on the BFI site, even before BFI emailed us the booking link,” he said.
Though he didn’t plan to initially, Ruhaan snagged a ticket to two screenings. He booked the Sunday 8 pm show, figuring people weren’t likely to opt for that one first, which bettered his chances. When his page for the Friday midnight screening finally loaded seconds later, he saw a great seat there and booked that too.
He’s just one of the thousands contributing to sold-out 70mm IMAX shows taking place next year. Online, the mood is either celebratory or sour.
“I just wanted to maximise my chances of getting a 70mm show, whether on the day of premiere or later,” said Ruhaan of his decision to book tickets a whole year in advance. He’s no stranger to meticulous movie strategizing, having spent hours researching the best IMAX screen in India on which to watch Nolan’s Oscar-winning biopic Oppenheimer (2023), eventually flying to a different state for his show.
Virginia-based John-Michael Jalonen can relate. While looking up tickets on Fandango, the 33-year-old copywriter discovered that only Nashville’s Regal Opry Mills had the best seats available. He booked six. “I would’ve loved to see it at the AMC Lincoln Center, arguably the best movie theater on the East Coast for large-format films, but their weekend was sold out within the hour,” he said.
Buying The Odyssey tickets in a different state just to watch it on 70mm film in IMAX is the furthest he’s gone for a film. “It’s an excuse to see this movie in the perfect format but also the opportunity to take a summer road trip with my friends.”
John-Michael’s Nolan fandom goes back to 2006, when he watched The Prestige on opening day at Regal, followed by The Dark Knight in 2008, which inspired him to work at that theater as a college student. “I became a film projectionist there. Building and watching Inception (2015) on 35mm film with my coworkers the night before it released is an experience I’ll never forget,” he said.
For 37-year-old screenwriter Sean Collins-Smith, his love of Nolan movies began at age 12. He watched Memento in 2000, then proceeded to watch every Nolan film released since at a theater. He started checking for The Odyssey tickets at exactly 9:01pm PT.
“I knew it’d be tough—you’re only scrambling for 70mm IMAX tickets for a movie that won’t be out for another 12 months if you’re a big movie fan, a big Nolan fan, or both,” he said. His AMC app crashed a few times, but Sean was prepared. Fandango—his backup option—came through. He got two tickets to a Saturday night show at Los Angeles’ TCL Chinese Theatre three minutes after they went live. His date is his wife, who became “obsessed” with Nolan after a 70mm IMAX screening of Oppenheimer, the couple’s favorite movie that year.
Oppenheimer is also what informed 17-year-old Evan Stubbings’ spur-of-the-moment decision to book advance tickets. “Seeing how big of a pop-culture moment it was, both in its theatrical run and in the awards season, I knew The Odyssey would sell out fast,” he said.
Two years ago, Evan did the Barbenheimer double-feature with his friends. Oppenheimer not only became his favourite film of the year but also influenced his decision to study film. The only theater in Canada’s British Columbia province to have early tickets on sale was Cineplex Cinemas Langley, close to his house, which further solidified his decision to hit the checkout button. He’s going with his dad, who might not know Nolan by name, but could probably identify him as “the Oppenheimer guy”—he loved that movie too.
Writer and podcaster Sigmund Judge, on the other hand, can definitely identify Nolan. And he wants to be part of the discourse once his new film releases. “I’m not someone who jumps on socials or makes a TikTok about a film they’ve just seen, but water-cooler moments of cultural significance are few and far between now,” he said. Another reason he was so eager to catch an early screening: to avoid phone users. “If you care enough to go see a 70mm print, you’re unlikely to be checking your LinkedIn during it,” he said.
The 42-year-old tried to be prepared, checking that the dates of two weddings he’s scheduled to attend next year didn’t clash with The Odyssey’s opening weekend, then calling the BFI IMAX office for ticket details. (They said they had no news.) Eventually, it came down to luck. Having woken up 20 minutes after tickets went live, he still nabbed seats at two screenings.
“I got tickets for myself and two friends for the midnight screening…though I don’t think they’ve clocked that it’s a midnight screening just yet,” he said. Sigmund’s less sure who he’ll give his second ticket for his next-day 7:15 pm screening to. He isn’t seeing anyone right now, but is thinking of making it a date night. “Maybe, if I meet someone between now and then. We’ll see what the future holds.”
