The Odyssey turns IMAX 70mm tickets into cinema’s hottest flex
Christopher Nolan’s epic is driving a rush for rare IMAX 70mm seats, with only 41 theaters worldwide able to show it in the format.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
The hardest journey tied to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey may be getting a seat for it in IMAX 70mm.
Business Insider reported that some fans have spent hundreds of dollars chasing tickets, while Variety reported that moviegoers have taken road trips and even planned pregnancies around seeing the film in the rare format. The frenzy is tied to how Nolan’s latest was made and how few theaters can show it the way he prefers.
According to Mashable, The Odyssey is the first feature shot entirely with IMAX film cameras. The format presents the movie at its fullest image and highest resolution, using a boxier 1.43:1 aspect ratio. Mashable reported that other formats, including standard 70mm and 35mm, show smaller versions of the frame, cutting away parts of the image that appear in IMAX 70mm.
That matters because the film’s visuals, shot by cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, include close-ups and broad scenery that lose some frame space in other presentations, according to Mashable. The film still plays in multiple formats, but IMAX 70mm has been promoted as the premium way to see it.
A rare format with a tiny footprint
Mashable reported that only 41 theaters worldwide can screen IMAX 70mm film. Of those, 25 are in the United States, including eight in California. Canada has nine, the United Kingdom has three, three more are spread across Europe, and Australia has one.
According to the same report, no theaters in Asia, Africa or South America can show The Odyssey in IMAX 70mm. Tickets in the format run from $18 to $33 depending on the theater, Mashable reported, making it pricier than other versions.
The limited supply is not easy to fix. IMAX chief executive Richard Gelfond told Variety that the company still makes new projectors daily, but “film projectors using this film” are not practical to build now. Variety reported that Gelfond also acknowledged demand for growth.
Fans grabbed seats a year early
The Hollywood Reporter reported that IMAX 70mm tickets for The Odyssey went on sale a full year ahead of time and sold out within an hour. Mashable also cited resale listings nearing $1,000.
The crush has turned a technical format into a bragging right. Mashable reported that AMC, Fandango and IMAX’s official site struggled with searches for New York screenings even weeks after opening weekend, including late-night showings at 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.
Other studios are trying the same premium-format play. Deadline reported that Dune: Part Three, scheduled for Dec. 18, put IMAX 70mm opening-weekend tickets on sale in April and that they sold out almost immediately.
Mashable connected the demand to a broader 2026 box office rebound that also includes Michael, The Devil Wears Prada 2, Toy Story 5 and Obsession. For now, The Odyssey is in theaters, and its most coveted seats remain among the scarcest in moviegoing.
This story draws on original reporting from Mashable.