Demand for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” surged after tickets for its July 17 opening weekend went on sale, but disruptions and long waits on AMC and Fandango drove buyers to IMAX 70mm secondary listings on eBay that reached $1,000 in New York, Texas, Flor
Thursday afternoon felt like the first rush of a major city storm: the tickets were there, then suddenly not, and by the time many shoppers were still staring at a spinning page, a different marketplace had already moved on.
Tickets to see Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” in IMAX 70mm during its July 17 opening weekend began selling in the early hours of the drop. with eBay postings quickly reflecting that scramble. On the secondary market, tickets were listed between $500 and $1,000 for showings in New York, Texas, Florida and Arizona.
The timing mattered. Tickets for the fantasy epic went live on AMC at 12 p.m. EDT. But the queue was paused by AMC within the first half hour as moviegoers appeared to flood the site. By then. the disruptions were already spilling into the public record: user problems reported on downdetector.com spiked for AMC and Fandango shortly after tickets went live. and users on X also reported errors during the purchase process.
For many shoppers, the wait stretched long enough to feel personal. Wait times for tickets reached over an hour on AMC’s website. AMC’s operations appeared to return to normal after those early hours. but the damage was already done—at least for the people who still needed tickets for the most in-demand format.
The listings hitting $1,000 were primarily for IMAX 70mm screenings. The format is pitched as a major step up from standard 35mm film. delivering triple the resolution of 35mm and using screens several times larger than normal. It is also one of the reasons Nolan’s movie has become such a magnet for fans willing to pay more: “The Odyssey” is the first feature film entirely shot on an IMAX camera. so IMAX screenings maintain the same aspect ratio throughout. unlike movies partially shot with IMAX that bounce between different ratios.
Nolan has long been a high-profile advocate for IMAX, and he often encourages audiences to see his films in that format when possible. That preference likely adds pressure during ticket drops—especially for a release that arrives with a built-in spotlight.
In the background of the website troubles is a franchise-style expectation for box office momentum. Nolan’s last film. “Oppenheimer. ” scored $975 million at the global box office. and “The Odyssey” is expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars. After “Oppenheimer” won seven Oscars on 13 nominations in 2024. “The Odyssey” is also being positioned as a frontrunner for the 2027 Academy Awards.
The movie’s cast is another reason the hunt for premium seats has been so intense. “The Odyssey” stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and Zendaya.
Ticket scalping is not a new phenomenon for buzzy releases, and the same pattern has played out before. Secondary markets such as eBay have surfaced for major openings like “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in 2021 and “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019. In 2015. tickets for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” were also hit by scalpers. with tickets being sold on eBay. Craigslist and StubHub. according to Variety.
Where “The Odyssey” stands now is a familiar problem with a new trigger: an online sale that appeared to stumble at the moment demand spiked. Forbes reached out to AMC and Fandango for comment.
The Odyssey tickets AMC ticket disruptions Fandango errors IMAX 70mm Christopher Nolan eBay resale ticket scalping July 17 opening weekend
People really paying $1,000 for movie tickets? That’s insane lol.
I swear AMC and Fandango always break right when stuff drops. Like the website just panics and then scalpers swoop in. Then they act shocked, like it wasn’t inevitable.
IMAX 70mm is cool and all but $1,000 is wild. Isn’t that like… they’re charging extra just because it’s Nolan? Also I saw somewhere it was “only” 35mm like a week ago so idk what’s even real anymore.
I tried at like noon and it just kept spinning, then said something went wrong, like 100 times. So then eBay had “tickets” already like immediately… makes you wonder if the ‘disruptions’ were on purpose to move people to secondary. And why is it always AMC, not theater owners fixing the servers??