Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' IMAX tickets open in India, prices touch ₹2,000

Long before Odysseus begins his journey home on Indian screens, moviegoers are already embarking on an expensive one of their own.
Advance IMAX bookings for Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' have opened across parts of India, and the ticket prices are among the highest seen for a mainstream theatrical release. From Kochi to Bengaluru, audiences eager to experience the filmmaker's latest epic in its intended format are being asked to pay a premium that, in some cases, rivals the cost of multiple regular movie outings.

In Bengaluru, IMAX tickets are priced between ₹1,700 and ₹2,000. Kochi's Cinepolis has listed normal tickets at ₹950, executive seats at ₹1,000, premium tickets at ₹1,100 and premium XL seats at ₹1,500. In Delhi, prices range from ₹880 to ₹1,380, while Mumbai screenings are priced between ₹1,000 and ₹1,100.

The steep rates underline the anticipation surrounding Nolan's next film, which is scheduled for release on July 17. Distributed in India by Warner Bros. Discovery India, the studio opened IMAX bookings early in response to what it described as strong regional demand for the film.

That demand is tied not only to Nolan's reputation but also to the way 'The Odyssey' has been made. The film is being billed as the first feature shot entirely on IMAX cameras, turning the format itself into a major part of the attraction. For many viewers, particularly those who followed the filmmaker's advocacy for large-format cinema through films such as 'Oppenheimer', the IMAX experience is being treated as an essential component rather than an optional upgrade.

The film adapts Homer's ancient Greek epic, one of the most enduring works of literature in history. At its centre is Odysseus, played by Matt Damon, whose long journey home begins after the Trojan War. Tom Holland plays Telemachus, Odysseus' son, who sets out in search of his missing father, while Anne Hathaway stars as Penelope, the wife waiting at home as suitors attempt to take over in his absence.

Nolan's adaptation arrives with considerable scale behind it. The film carries a reported net production budget of $250 million, making it one of the most expensive projects of the director's career.

Running approximately two hours and 52 minutes, 'The Odyssey' is slightly shorter than Nolan's Academy Award-winning 'Oppenheimer'. Even so, it promises the kind of expansive storytelling and visual spectacle that audiences have come to associate with the filmmaker. The film is scheduled to release on July 17.