Early-morning screenings of Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey” have drawn unusually dedicated audiences at AMC Lincoln Square in Manhattan, where the film is shown in IMAX 70-millimeter format on the nation’s largest IMAX screen. Fans lined up for showings at 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Sunday, demonstrating strong demand for the high-resolution format that Nolan champions for its ability to deliver immersive detail and scale.
While “The Odyssey” attracted widespread viewership across New York City, grossing $124.5 million at the box office in its opening weekend, tickets for standard screenings remained readily available. However, nearly all IMAX 70-millimeter seats at AMC Lincoln Square sold out quickly, prompting about 450 moviegoers to sacrifice sleep in order to attend the early hours’ performances.
Among those drawn to the event were Ellis Tan, a photographer from Westchester County, and Dash Suarez, a high school student at the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics who appeared with friends for the 2 a.m. screening. Many attendees said that experiencing the film in this format felt like a unique event, emphasizing that the scale of Nolan’s storytelling was best appreciated under these conditions. Amanda Quinonez, who secured a front-row seat, noted her personal familiarity with the source material, having read “The Odyssey” multiple times.
Nolan’s adaptation reportedly relies on the English translation of Emily Wilson, the University of Pennsylvania classical studies professor known for being the first woman to translate the entire ancient Greek poem into English. This choice sparked criticism from some conservative commentators, who accused Nolan of incorporating “wokeness” into the production, particularly over Wilson’s translation and casting decisions. However, such critiques appeared to resonate little with the diverse and youthful audience gathered at Lincoln Square.
Demand for IMAX tickets was so intense that some attendees were willing to endure late-night viewings, with online reselling prices reportedly reaching into the hundreds of dollars. College student Shreyas Kotla traveled from Washington, D.C., and welcomed the challenge of securing a ticket, viewing the scarcity as part of the film’s appeal. Kotla expressed confidence that cinema remains vibrant despite the rise of short-form video content.
Others, like Dennis Corrales, attended the 6 a.m. showing fueled by a strong interest in Nolan’s work, having also seen his “Oppenheimer” at the same theater. Corrales noted that appreciation for the IMAX 70-millimeter experience has grown significantly since that film’s release, contributing to the surging demand for “The Odyssey,” which some consider even more ambitious and spectacular in scale.
Mordechai Levovitz, founder of Jewish Queer Youth, arrived shortly after 2 a.m. hoping to obtain a last-minute ticket for the sold-out 6 a.m. screening. Despite technical difficulties with the ticket kiosk, Levovitz eventually secured a seat moments before the show. He described the film as unexpectedly relevant, reflecting on themes of societal collapse and ethical decay. After the screening, Levovitz left the theater to rest, summarizing the experience as a kind of homecoming, much like Odysseus's journey.