‘The Odyssey’ Imax Screenings Sell Out in Minutes, Fans Decry Resellers Demanding Hiked-Up Prices

The Christopher Nolan-directed blockbuster is set to hit theaters on July 17, 2026

matt-damon-odysseus-the-odyssey
Matt Damon in "The Odyssey" (Credit: Universal Pictures)

After tickets for the opening 70mm Imax screenings of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” sold out in minutes Wednesday night, exorbitantly expensive resale tickets for the film have started popping up online — and fans are not happy about it.

A few weeks after Universal Pictures began playing the first trailer for “The Odyssey” exclusively in movie theaters, the studio released tickets for the film’s first Imax showings in July 2026 one year in advance. It only took a few minutes after the tickets became available Wednesday night for the film’s opening screenings to start selling out.

In a move that feels more suited to high-profile concerts and stadium tours than theatrical screenings of a wide-release Hollywood movie, too, resellers have since listed opening night “Odyssey” tickets online at what one X account rightly called “outrageous prices” well above current retail standards. As of this writing, several eBay sellers have tickets to screenings of the film in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas listed for $150, $200 and $300.

On X, moviegoers have been quick to react to the film’s early ticket sales and resale prices. “Someone is trying to resell 2x BFI Imax 70mm tickets for ‘The Odyssey’ for £94 Great British Pounds!,” one user wrote. “These tickets are for second row seats right against the wall … THE AUDACITY.” Before the “Odyssey” tickets went on sale Wednesday night, another user even predicted exactly what would happen when they did.

“Definitely shows that movies are in a healthy spot – but the ‘event-ification’ of movies is kind of scary,” @aryanp_000 wrote. “Going to be seeing resellers markup opening night tickets for ‘The Odyssey’ in 70mm Imax within the next 365 days like it’s a concert, I guarantee it lol.”

The tickets that went on sale this week are only for the film’s opening 70mm Imax format screenings. Tickets for its non-70mm showings are expected to go on sale closer to the movie’s 2026 release date. While some fans may be concerned by Universal’s year-in-advance rollout for “The Odyssey,” it is additionally worth noting that the film is not a usual blockbuster — by either Nolan’s or Hollywood’s standards.

It is set to be the first movie shot entirely with Imax cameras and poised to be the most expensive film that Nolan, who has more experience working with big budgets than most contemporary Hollywood directors, has ever made. As Nolan’s follow-up to “Oppenheimer,” which not only took home seven Oscars including Best Picture but also grossed nearly $1 billion at the worldwide box office, “The Odyssey” is also expected to be as close to a true “Event Movie” as any other hitting theaters next year.

You can check out more reactions to the film’s online resales below.

“The Odyssey” hits theaters on July 17, 2026.

Tom Holland (Credit: Getty Images)
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Alex Welch

Alex is an Audience Writer at TheWrap, based in Los Angeles. He has been covering the entertainment industry since 2013. Before joining TheWrap in 2025, he worked as a critic and reporter for A.frame, Digital Trends, Inverse, IGN, Looper, and multiple other outlets. A lifelong cinephile, he dreams of one day being invited to the…

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