Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated epic The Odyssey hasn’t even hit theaters yet, but it’s already breaking the Internet. Fans flocked to ticketing platforms on Thursday to get their hands on IMAX and premium large-format seats.
amc app crashes
AMC’s ticketing app was briefly halted after demand for IMAX and other premium large format screenings of The Odyssey surged after tickets went on sale Thursday. Sales eventually resumed but wait times increased to an hour.
outage tracking site downdetector As of 12:13 pm EST, 872 reports of AMC not working were reported.
According to Variety, Fandango was not spared, with users reporting long wait times on its website as well. As of 12:04 pm EST there were 289 reports of the website not working downdetector.
On social media, disappointed moviegoers complained about the difficulty in securing seats in their favorite format. This isn’t the first time AMC’s systems have buckled under pressure, with similar mishaps occurring during the release of Taylor Swift’s Erasure Tour concert film in 2023 and again during the release of her 2025 film Showgirls, according to Variety.
Also read: God of War Lofi: Release date, plot, gameplay and everything we know about Sony’s new PS5 spinoff
Why fans are traveling so far to see Odyssey
Nolan is a well-known champion of the IMAX format and used the company’s proprietary cameras to shoot The Odyssey. Enthusiasm is nothing new; When his previous film Oppenheimer was released, fans traveled across the state to see it in IMAX 70mm. Diversity.
Last summer, IMAX 70mm screenings of The Odyssey were made available on opening weekend and sold out almost immediately, which is an extremely rare occurrence for a film so far from its release date.
Nolan recently explained his vision of the film in a recent interview with 60 Minutes, saying, “When I’m writing, I’m imagining the film as an audience member, as a person experiencing the story. Then, when I direct the story, I’m trying to take the audience there. So, in the case of ‘The Odyssey,’ I’m trying to put the audience in that horse. I’m taking them on a ride to Odysseus’s ship. Trying to keep it on deck.”
Also read: Why was Chris Robinson reprimanded? Clash inside Black Crowes singer’s ‘USA’ chant
Despite the huge budget, Odyssey got an R rating
According to Variety, The Odyssey has received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association. The exact reason is not revealed, although the film is based on Homer’s epic poem, which involves fighting and violence.
R-rated summer blockbusters are not very common, as studios usually prefer a PG-13 rating to attract larger audiences. However, Nolan’s previous film, Oppenheimer, was also rated R and still grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide.
Odyssey has a budget of $250 million and could become the most expensive R-rated film of all time, surpassing films like Joker: Folie à Deux and Deadpool & Wolverine.
The film will be released on July 17 and has a production budget of $250 million, with an A-list cast including Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson. Universal is distributing the film, which is widely expected to be one of the summer’s biggest hits.