Christopher Nolan’s THE ODYSSEY Sold Out IMAX Screenings… A Year Before Release

Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey doesn’t hit theaters until July 17, 2026, but the film is already making history, and causing a frenzy, by selling out premium screenings a full year in advance.

Earlier this week, fans noticed something strange on ticketing sites: listings for IMAX 70mm screenings in July 2026. At midnight ET on July 17, IMAX confirmed the news, posting that “the first IMAX 70mm screenings for one year from now” were live.

Sixteen theaters in the U.S., six in Canada, two in the U.K., and one in the Czech Republic quietly dropped a handful of showtimes, and they were gone almost instantly.

In New York, where there’s only one participating theater, seats evaporated in minutes. In Los Angeles, with several options, the sellout took closer to an hour. As of now, everything is booked unless you’re okay with the dreaded front row.

Why the chaos? These aren’t just any screenings. These are the only theaters currently equipped to show The Odyssey in IMAX 70mm, the format Nolan shot the entire film on.

This marks a first in cinema history, a full feature captured entirely on IMAX 70mm cameras, presented in a towering 1.43:1 aspect ratio for the whole runtime. Regular theaters will still screen the movie, but these 70mm showings are the ultimate way to experience it.

Almost immediately, scalpers began listing tickets at absurd prices, and fans who missed out expressed frustration at being locked out so far ahead of release.

Here’s the reality, though, these are only the first screenings at select theaters. Nolan’s still editing the film and doesn’t even know the final runtime yet. More showtimes will come, and some theaters could run the movie around the clock on opening weekend if demand stays this high—which seems inevitable.

IMAX is also working to expand the number of screens capable of showing the format over the next year. So, if you missed out, don’t give your money to the scalpers. More chances are coming.

Whoever greenlit this move deserves credit. It was a calculated stunt to generate buzz for the IMAX 70mm experience, and it worked. We’re talking about a film still in production, one year out, and it’s already sold thousands of tickets, making history as the first movie ever to do so this far in advance.