To the surprise of very few, the pre-sale orders for tickets to see The Odyssey from the middle of July onwards went exceedingly well. In the UK, the British Film Institute has reported a record-breaking 28,000 tickets for the premium IMAX experience being sold in just the first 24 hours.
That first day on sale brought the premier theatre a total gross of £750,000 right off the bat. This is a trend for the BFI and Christopher Nolan, following Oppenheimer marking the BFI IMAX the host of its biggest opening weekend in 2023. If these early figures carry, there’s a strong chance The Odyssey will be even bigger than expected.
All-in for the Biggest Film of the Year
Source: Pexels
Hype for a film is exactly what cinemas like to see, but as it’s still a fairly competitive space, many will be looking to roll out some specialist Greek myth and film tie-in promotions. It’s a marketing avenue that cinemas are becoming increasingly accustomed to as customers who explore other arenas of entertainment can often claim perks for premium experiences.
It’s why when people join and play £10 on bingo online, the following deposit bonus slots into both online and club categories. They get £30 for online play across the many games on the bingo site and £10 to play in land-based bingo clubs. It’s a premium experience, so the platform offers a premium boost to those willing to buy-in.
A good month away from the release, Odeon opted to create the Epic Journey Collectors Combo, which comes with a unique straw cup and tin popcorn bucket. At the time of writing, Vue was yet to reveal its promotions for The Odyssey, but based on its Wave Edition Water Effect Cup, metal buckets, and merchandising for its June flicks, it’d be fair to assume that there’s something big being cooked up to promote their showings of The Odyssey.
A Distinct Viewing Experience
Source: Pixabay
The quality of a film and how it’s rated and revered in entertainment should, ultimately, be a question of story coherency and poignancy. However, it’s very clear that this aspect has been bumped down the priority order for many a critic and many customers, with aesthetics and spectacle taking prominence.
As such, it seems incredibly unlikely that The Odyssey will receive bad reviews out of the gate, encouraging people to pile into those later showings. Even more in its favour is the all-in experience of the total IMAX film. Tickets cost more than physical copies, but customers will happily pay and wait weeks to get this new experience.
Knowing that this is a big selling point of the upcoming film, the official website has offered a way to watch the trailer in the various premium formats. IMAX 70mm is the most premium way to watch, and the rarest of screens in the UK, followed by standard IMAX.
The Odyssey has a lot going for it, from the eternally potent story of the original works to its all-star cast and writer-director combination. Throw in the full IMAX experience, and it’s bound to be a colossal hit this summer.
