Copyright Inverse
In July 2025, Universal Pictures did something unprecedented for a major movie release, allowing tickets for Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey to go on sale a year before its release date. Despite most of us not having our Summer 2026 calendars filled yet, tickets quickly sold out, and the movie’s box office numbers began to grow while it was still being filmed. What made these tickets so desirable? The answer is complicated, but a new change means you won’t miss out if you’re not planning your life a year ahead of time. The tickets sold in July were for 70mm IMAX showings, an ultra-large format used for blockbusters like Oppenheimer and Sinners. It’s the largest screen you can possibly see the movie on, and it shows the most of the original image possible while still feeling like real film. The downside is that there are only about 30 theaters worldwide capable of showing that format, 19 of which are in the United States. But that could change soon. According to Variety, Cinemark has announced it will construct three new IMAX 70mm theaters and upgrade four other theaters with the more modern IMAX with Laser projection technology. Adding three screens may not seem like a big change, but it suddenly opens 70mm screenings to new parts of the country: the Chicago suburb of Woodbridge, Illinois; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Rochester, New York. Cinemark said these theaters will be operational by the time The Odyssey premieres in July 2026, as the early ticket sales have shown there’s a demand for these screenings. Given such demand, it’s possible non-Cinemark brands will also add new screens. The Odyssey is Nolan’s first movie filmed entirely in 70mm, so hardcore fans will want to seek out the right screen wherever they can. As another movie taught us, if you build it, they will come. The Odyssey premieres in theaters on July 17, 2026.
