Christopher Nolan’s upcoming ultra-epic project is rewriting the rules of cinema marketing again. IMAX has officially opened ticket sales for The Odyssey in its iconic 70mm format, a full year ahead of the film’s release. There’s no teaser. No trailer. Not even a poster. Just the promise of a Nolan film, and that was enough to crash ticket sites and sell out screens in less than 20 minutes.
A New Frontier for IMAX and Nolan Fans
In an unprecedented move, IMAX announced the first wave of theaters that will screen The Odyssey in true 70mm, considered the gold standard for cinematic immersion. This rollout marks the earliest ticket release in IMAX history. According to IMAX, more locations and showtimes will be announced soon, but early access has already triggered a frenzy among cinephiles. Several iconic locations—like AMC Lincoln Square 13 in New York (we’ve been there :-), TCL Chinese Theatres in LA, and BFI IMAX in London, are already marked SOLD OUT. You read that right. Sold out. A year in advance.
Why the Hype?
The answer lies in the mystique surrounding The Odyssey, a project cloaked in secrecy, speculation, and a whole lot of film stock. First reported by Y.M.Cinema back in January, The Odyssey is rumored to be a spiritual sequel to Interstellar. And with longtime collaborator Hoyte van Hoytema back behind the lens, Nolan’s commitment to IMAX filmmaking is stronger than ever. But there’s more. Our investigation into the project uncovered a fascinating angle: Nolan and Hoyte are believed to be testing IMAX’s new film camera, a prototype so advanced, it barely made it out of development before production started. This theory was later confirmed in our coverage: The Odyssey will be shot entirely on IMAX’s next-gen cameras. Still, the mystery deepened when we asked: Where are the cameras now? And most recently, Y.M.Cinema uncovered a curious absence of working IMAX cameras, raising eyebrows across the industry. Are these new cameras only being built for Nolan? Possibly.
These Are the First IMAX 70mm Locations
Below are the selected theaters offering the earliest screenings of The Odyssey in glorious 70mm film. Some are already sold out, expect more to follow.
United States
• Tempe, AZ – Harkins Arizona Mills
• Dublin, CA – Regal Hacienda Crossings
• Irvine, CA – Regal Irvine Spectrum (SOLD OUT)
• Los Angeles, CA – TCL Chinese Theatres
• Los Angeles, CA – Universal AMC CityWalk (SOLD OUT)
• San Francisco, CA – AMC Metreon 16
• Fort Lauderdale, FL – AutoNation IMAX (SOLD OUT)
• Buford, GA – Regal Mall of Georgia (SOLD OUT)
• Indianapolis, IN – IMAX Indiana State Museum (SOLD OUT)
• New York, NY – AMC Lincoln Square 13 (SOLD OUT)
• Dallas, TX – Cinemark IMAX (SOLD OUT)
Canada
• Toronto, ON – Cineplex Vaughan & Mississauga (SOLD OUT)
• Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Vancouver – Various Cineplex Locations
UK & Europe
• London – BFI IMAX & Science Museum IMAX (SOLD OUT)
• Prague – Cinema City IMAX
Australia
• Melbourne IMAX
IMAX noted that additional cities and time slots will be added soon, with a notification sign-up for future announcements.
A Cinematic Event Unlike Any Other
The fact that tens of thousands of fans snapped up The Odyssey tickets without having seen a single frame proves something we already suspected: Nolan’s brand of large-format storytelling is now an event genre of its own. Whether this is a bold experiment or a masterclass in anticipation marketing, one thing is certain: the IMAX 70mm experience is back, and bigger than ever. The Odyssey is shaping up to be a once-in-a-generation cinematic experience. With IMAX 70mm screenings selling out a year ahead, this might be the closest we’ve come to the energy of a cinematic moon landing. Stay tuned to Y.M.Cinema for updates as more theaters and showtimes are revealed.
