Odyssey fans face scalper scramble for rare New York Imax seats
Sold-out Imax 70mm screenings of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey have left New York fans hunting tickets and warning each other about scams.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The hunt for a New York ticket to see Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in Imax 70mm has become so frantic that Reddit users are pleading for spare seats, reporting alleged scams and watching resale prices climb.
Variety reported that the scramble has centered on AMC Lincoln Square 13, the only Imax 70mm location in New York City and one of 41 such screens worldwide. The theater’s showtimes for the format are sold out, with wheelchair-accessible spaces the only remaining listings for screenings reviewed by Variety.
The rush has spilled onto r/NYCmovies, a subreddit for New York filmgoers that covers theaters including AMC, Regal, Film Forum, IFC Center, Film at Lincoln Center and the New York Film Festival. One July 20 poster, using the name Elijahturner011, asked if someone could release a ticket and wrote that they had been “scammed left and right” while trying to get one 70mm seat.
That post was one of many desperate ticket requests on the forum, according to Variety. Some posts do not name the film, but the object of the chase is clear: Nolan’s preferred Imax 70mm presentation of The Odyssey.
At AMC Lincoln Square 13, Variety reported that every listed 2 a.m. screening through Aug. 2 was sold out, along with all other listed showtimes through Aug. 12. AMC declined to comment to Variety when asked whether more showtimes would be added.
Subreddit mods battle resale chaos
The r/NYCmovies front page carries a direct rule against ticket scalping. Still, Variety reported that the surge in demand has brought in users trying to buy, sell or allegedly exploit fans looking for a seat.
Tessa, a moderator of the subreddit, told Variety that community members often report anyone trying to sell tickets above face value, and moderators ban those accounts when reports come in. She said the problem is hard to stamp out because users can delete accounts and return under new names.
According to Tessa, the subreddit has also seen users offering to pay above face value. She told Variety that the biggest risk comes from people pretending to hold tickets they do not actually have.
Tessa said moderators are warning users to check account histories, ask for proof of tickets and, when possible, make exchanges in person. She also advised that printing a ticket at a kiosk can confirm it is valid and can no longer be double sold or refunded. For online payments, she recommended using PayPal’s Goods & Services protection.
Resale listings climb above face value
The pressure is not limited to Reddit. Variety reported that $33 tickets for Lincoln Square screenings were drawing bids on eBay starting at $69, with one pair of seats for July 22 listed as high as $1,200.
For New Yorkers willing to travel, Variety pointed to Cinemark Tinseltown Rochester as an option. The theater, about a six-hour drive from midtown Manhattan, had Imax 70mm tickets available for showtimes this week.
For now, the city’s most committed Nolan fans are left refreshing ticket pages, monitoring subreddit alerts and trying to avoid deals that look too good, or too costly, to trust.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.