Christopher Nolan’s $250 million epic The Odyssey earned an R rating and set an AMC ticket sales record, with the chain recording its highest first-day ticket sales for any studio-released film since 2022 when advance tickets went on sale June 4.
Quick Facts
- The Odyssey has a $250 million production budget, making it Nolan’s most expensive film to date.
- The film is the first feature shot entirely on IMAX 70mm cameras.
- AMC experienced online wait times of up to one hour as ticket demand overwhelmed the chain’s website and app.
- The film opens in theaters on July 17, 2026, starring Matt Damon, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland.
The R rating makes The Odyssey one of the most expensive R-rated films ever made. According to AMC CEO Adam Aron, the ticket sales for the Nolan film represented the chain’s highest first-day sales for any studio-released movie title since 2022, as reported by Bloomberg Law.
When tickets went on sale on June 4 for premium large-format showtimes, the surge in demand created significant technical strain on AMC’s ticketing infrastructure. Deadline confirmed that wait times on AMC’s website reached as long as an hour before dwindling to around eight minutes as the day progressed. The NBC News report noted that some customers experienced delays of several hours and reported difficulty finding available seats as theaters quickly filled up.
The film is based on Homer’s ancient epic poem and marks Nolan’s first project since his Oscar-winning 2023 film Oppenheimer. Shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film, The Odyssey represents a significant technical achievement in cinema, with production taking place across multiple international locations including Morocco, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Iceland, and Malta.
Sources
- Deadline — confirmed AMC wait times and first-day ticket sales details
- NBC News — reported on ticket presale demand and technical issues with AMC’s website and app
- Bloomberg Law News — reported AMC CEO Adam Aron’s statement on highest first-day ticket sales since 2022
- Yahoo Entertainment — corroborated AMC CEO’s statement on ticket sales records
