Los Angeles ticket scalpers jump on 'The Odyssey' hysteria to make fast cash

Los Angeles ticket scalpers are seeing more than a mythical journey in their future with Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”

They’re seeing dollar signs.

Multiple IMAX 70MM tickets were seen by The California Post on resale marketplaces well above the normal price for theater tickets. Most of the listings were for the only AMC theater in the area showing IMAX 70MM — Universal CityWalk.

One ticket package on eBay was priced at $1,299 for four tickets to the August 7 showing of the epic at Universal CityWalk. The listing showed the seats were closer to the back of the cinema, an ideal spot for the wide field of view used by the format, but in the middle.

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Nolan said he likes to sit “a little behind the centre line, right up at the middle.”

The listing appeared to be taking advantage of the preference.

Another cheaper listing for August 14 at the same Universal theater showed four seats for sale in the fourth row from the back, slightly offset to the left for about $500.

Several tickets listed on eBay for California showings of “The Odyssey” actually sold for hundreds of dollars.

One listing even showed six tickets for an IMAX 70MM showing at Universal CityWalk sold for $1,400.

The Homer-inspired epic has drawn such resale buzz because of the unique nature of the movie’s popularity mixed with the ideal viewing format of IMAX 70MM, which is only in very few theaters across the country.

Fans have flown, driven, and taken trains to see the movie in the massive viewing format known for being projected on real film. A deaf fan traveled 300 miles to watch a showing of “The Odyssey” in IMAX 70MM despite there being no closed captions.

“It’s a trade-off I’m willing to accept,” he told The New York Times.

“The visual experience is too great to miss out on.”

The California Post went to an early-morning screening of “The Odyssey” in 70MM IMAX on Monday at AMC Universal CityWalk — and found a packed theater full of audience members ready for the awe-inspiring journey.

A Dune 3 preview played before the lengthy epic film, which stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, and Robert Pattinson. The early-morning audience stayed largely quiet through the movie, but vigorously clapped as its end credits rolled.

The company said in a release Monday that it attracted more than 4.3 million moviegoers for The Odyssey” on its opening weekend.

“For the past several days, THE ODYSSEY has been at the center of the pop culture conversation across both the United States and Europe, once again demonstrating how deeply movie theatres are woven into the fabric of society,” Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC Entertainment, said.

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