Where to Watch The Odyssey in IMAX 70mm in New York: My Full Experience + Tips

As a huge fan of Christopher Nolan’s work, I unfortunately missed the launch of ticket sales for “The Odyssey” in IMAX 70mm format in New York.

There are only about twenty theaters in all of America that can show films in this special format. And only one of them is in New York. Spoiler: it was worth it!

Tickets for every screening through September 15th sold out completely. No wonder there’s such a frenzy around them. But I still managed to snag a ticket — and ended up watching the movie completely for free. Here’s how it happened.

How IMAX 70mm works

Why it’s worth watching a movie in IMAX 70mm. “The Odyssey” is the first film in history shot entirely on 70mm IMAX film cameras. This isn’t a marketing gimmick — the image was designed for this format from the very start.

The nearly square frame (1.43:1) fills the entire screen — floor to ceiling, as tall as a seven-story building. The image fills your whole field of vision, and you literally feel like you’re “inside” the frame.

Maximum resolution and detail — exactly what Nolan chose this technology for, for the sea, storm, and mythical creature scenes.

Man, I’d love to rewatch “Interstellar” in IMAX 70mm right now!

How I got scammed on a ticket

I happened to check eBay for tickets and stumbled on one great ticket for the next day’s screening — only 87$. I messaged the seller and arranged to meet right at the theater on the day of the screening, so I could print the ticket on the spot and avoid the classic New York scam.
Regular ticket price for the movie in New York is 31.49$

But there was a catch after all.

The sneaky eBay seller had “forgotten” to mention that this ticket was for the companion of a person in a wheelchair — the kind of person who usually comes along with them to the movies. When I arrived for the screening, the theater staff explained that under AMC policy, that seat always goes to the companion of a person with disabilities.

So my seat turned out to be taken, and I was kindly offered a “VIP seat” — a folding camping chair, ha-ha. But who am I to complain — people fly to other cities and countries specifically to watch a movie in this format.

Then it hit me: a lot of people deliberately buy tickets for wheelchair spots (which are just empty spaces) and bring their own folding camping chairs. Life hack!

In the end, I went home a bit annoyed about the ticket scam, wrote to eBay support — and a week later got a full refund.

God Bless America!