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A new group of tickets for Imax 70mm screenings of “The Odyssey” was released this week, with many of the new screenings selling out within hours.
In New York and Los Angeles, there are no Imax 70mm tickets available
through Aug. 19, a sign of the frenzy to see Christopher Nolan’s epic in the premium large format. And in London, Imax 70mm screenings are sold out through Sept. 10, nearly two months after the film’s release. More screenings in Imax 70mm will be added to keep up with the intense demand. But the question is: how long can “The Odyssey” hold onto those coveted screens, which only exist in 25 theaters in the U.S. and 41 globally?
The next Imax releases include the Aug. 14 sci-fi survival flick “The End of Oak Street” (which also stars Anne Hathaway) and Zach Cregger’s take on “Resident Evil,” which comes out Sept. 18. While those titles, each filmed for Imax, will premiere in the premium format, that doesn’t mean “The Odyssey” will have to vacate Imax screens entirely.
An Imax spokesperson tells Variety the company’s next Imax 70mm commitment is to “Dune: Part Three.” That means it is not contractually obligated to give up those screens until the Denis Villeneuve film premieres in December. That said, the spokesperson indicated it is highly unlikely “The Odyssey” will play in Imax 70mm through that month, adding that it will likely return in the format multiple times until the end of the year.
A similar craze happened in 2023 with Nolan’s last film, “Oppenheimer.” Imax extended the movie’s run in 70mm twice due to demand, but eventually, on Sept 1., exhibitors had to cede the screens to Denzel Washington’s “The Equalizer 3.” In February 2024, before the Oscars, “Oppenheimer” once again returned in Imax 70mm. “The Odyssey,” which is also generating awards buzz, will surely take a similar path, but it has a much longer runway with Imax 70mm than “Oppenheimer” did.
Tickets to select showings of “The Odyssey” first went on sale a year before the film opened on July 17. Still, demand for the blockbuster adaptation of Homer’s epic poem has exceeded expectations. The film earned $123.5 million domestically in its opening weekend, the third best stateside debut of the year, and it grossed $263.8 million globally to become the top launch of Nolan’s career. Imax over-indexed, with the company’s screens delivering a record-breaking $51.8 million. It helped that Nolan has been a major advocate of Imax, praising the format as the optimal way to see his movies. “The Odyssey” is the first film shot entirely with Imax cameras.
Theaters have struggled to meet the demand for Imax screens, adding 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. showings, for instance. Fans have traveled across state lines to see the film in Imax 70mm, with tickets being upsold by scalpers.
“The Odyssey” has received nearly unanimous critical praise, with Nolan setting his sights on another big year at the Oscars following his dominant year with “Oppenheimer” in 2024. Universal Pictures released the R-rated “Odyssey,” which runs nearly three hours and cost a hefty $250 million to produce.
