Scalpers are successfully reselling tickets to The Odyssey in 70MM IMAX for hundreds of dollars.
Tickets for The Odyssey went on sale yesterday and the ticketing apps were overwhelmed. There were extensive queues, crashes, and loads of angry fans who were unable to get tickets. It was a total mess, and to make matters worse, scalpers snatched up a bunch of the tickets. And, over on eBay, some scalpers were successful in actually selling them. One of the sold listings went for $700 and included three tickets to see The Odyssey in 70MM IMAX at New York’s Lincoln Square theater, which is regarded as one of the best IMAX screens in the United States. Some unsold listings are asking for thousands of dollars, though it wouldn’t be surprising if those drop their price.
You may be asking yourself, “Why scalp tickets for a movie? Everyone should eventually have a chance to see it in theaters, right?” Yes and no. While there will likely be plenty of showtimes for The Odyssey throughout the summer, the showtimes for 70MM IMAX showings are much more limited.
70MM IMAX is the way Christopher Nolan intended the movie to be seen, especially since The Odyssey is the first film in history to ever be shot entirely on IMAX. The format allows for a much taller image, allowing for an increased level of immersion while also benefiting from higher resolution and higher fidelity. Sadly, there are only 39 theaters showing the film in this format worldwide and 24 of them are in the United States.
The majority of theaters only have one screen capable of showing 70MM IMAX films, as the size of the screen and the cost of the projector is too significant to have more than one inside of a single multiplex. So, that means there will only be a handful of showings each day since it can’t run simultaneously in other auditoriums. Given the film is nearly three hours long, theaters will only be able to show the movie four or five times a day in this format. Of course, if you’re not picky about the format and just want to see the movie, you can see it in other formats which will be much easier to get tickets to.
The Odyssey is one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, as it will be Christopher Nolan’s first movie coming off of Oppenheimer, a movie that swept at the Oscars and the box office. While he’s always had a lot of creative freedom, Universal has supposedly given Nolan the power to make the most expensive R-rated movie of all-time. The film reportedly cost $250 million to produce, but it looks like it will make that back with relative ease.
Some were concerned that the movie’s performance may be hindered by controversy around the film, particularly with regards to “historical inaccuracies” over dialogue and armor. However, the fact ticketing apps were struggling to meet demand and people are apparently paying scalpers excessive amounts of money to see it opening weekend suggests the movie won’t struggle for much.
The Odyssey will release in theaters on July 17th.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
