The Odyssey Just Broke a Pre-Release Record That Could Supercharge Its Box Office

Let's be honest, with Christopher Nolan directing, everyone expected his upcoming epic The Odyssey to get some attention. But what's interesting here isn't just the eager anticipation—it's that the ticket presales for this film have gone slightly off the rails, setting records and, apparently, causing a mild headache for AMC (that's the US cinema chain, not the cable channel).

Presale Pandemonium: Record-Breaking Numbers and Some Surprised Punters

The Odyssey, due in cinemas on 17 July 2026, has become AMC's top dog in terms of first-day advance ticket sales for a studio film—at least if you care about Premium Large Format (PLF) tickets, which, let's face it, is Nolan's bread and butter. According to Deadline, AMC hasn't seen numbers like this for a major studio movie in four years. To put a finer point on it, this is their best first-day PLF sales so far for any studio feature in 2026.

There's an odd twist here: the surge in anticipation was so enthusiastic that punters had to wait up to an hour for tickets on AMC's website before things calmed down to a breezy eight minutes. (Not the worst way to spend your morning, but not great for impulse decisions.) Curiously, the other big chains—Regal and Cinemark—didn't have these issues. Only AMC seemed to buckle under pressure.

AMC's CEO, Adam Aron, took to X (Twitter, for anyone who can't keep up with rebrands) to say:

'My apologies if you encountered a long ticketing line on the AMC web site and app yesterday. Fortunately, we still have MILLIONS more available seats.'

All this demand puts The Odyssey just behind only two recent juggernauts in AMC's own homegrown lineup: Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour—both 2023 music-focused events, and both annoyingly popular if you were hoping to nab a seat last minute.

The IMAX 70mm Gambit—and Universal's Early Start

Universal, who are gambling big on this, pulled a slightly mad move: they kicked off IMAX 70mm and regular 70mm ticket sales a full year before the release. Unsurprisingly, those sold out in no time, apparently pulling in about $1.5 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. You don't usually see that kind of cash thrown around for tickets 365 days out.

The Nolan Factor: Cast, Crew, and Mongrel Running Time

• Directed and written by: Christopher Nolan
• Produced by: Nolan and Emma Thomas (his long-time collaborator and wife), via Syncopy
• Main man: Matt Damon as Odysseus, continuing his Nolan streak after Interstellar and Oppenheimer
• Supporting cast: Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron (as well as a string of others—frankly, it's a who's who of Gen Z and Millennial talent)
• Duration: About two hours and 52 minutes (172 minutes, for those checking their watches), which just squeaks in under the dreaded three-hour mark. Emma Thomas has confirmed it will stay south of that milestone.

What Happens Next?

Universal will have plenty to gloat about if the current presale fever carries through to the opening weekend, especially with the film likely to dominate PLF and IMAX screens. With Nolan at the helm, hype at a near-Olympian level, and no sign of interest slowing, The Odyssey looks set to justify all those early ticket headaches.