Making plans to see Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” turned into a quest of its own for some fans on Thursday as a surge of would-be ticket buyers appeared to bog down AMC’s website.
Dozens of people online said they encountered technical glitches while attempting to use the theater’s app to purchase tickets for the movie, which hits theaters on July 17.
Some reported major delays of up to several hours when trying to snag tickets; others said that they couldn’t even manage to find open seats, as theaters quickly filled up.
“Since when is it so hard to get advance movie tickets?” wrote one Threads user. “Trying to get tickets right now for The Odyssey opening weekend at AMC is like trying to get Coachella tickets — all my friends are in online queues with wait times over an hour?! Seriously, how did we get here??”
“I SURVIVED ‘The Odyssey’ Ticket War!” another Threads user wrote.
AMC did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
“The Odyssey,” which is being distributed by Universal Pictures, is based on the epic by the ancient Greek poet Homer. (NBC News and Universal Pictures share Comcast as a parent company.)
It stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca who is journeying home after the 10-year Trojan War.
The film has generated significant buzz since it was announced in part due to its star-studded cast, which also includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o and Robert Pattinson.
The R-rated film reportedly had a production budget of $250 million and is the first feature to be shot entirely on IMAX film. Nolan, a two-time Oscar winner, also boasts a large existing fan base, having helmed multiple blockbusters including “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight” and “Oppenheimer.”
Though not everyone was able to secure presale tickets, many still made light of the situation online, sparking a wave of memes related to the frenzy.
One person posted on X, “Happy ‘oops! an error has occurred!’ day to us all,” while another, who managed to get tickets, shared, “I JUST GOT MY TICKET FOR THE ODYSSEY OH MY GOD IM SHAKING.”
Americana at Brand Memes, an account known for its Los Angeles-related memes, posted two stickers styled after the popular “I Voted” stickers. One reads “I GOT” and the other “I CAN’T GET,” with “70mm Odyssey Tix” written below each, poking fun at the scramble to get tickets.
As of Thursday afternoon, the AMC app was up and running. But there still appears to be a wait time of more than 30 minutes.
As one X user wrote: “Spending an hour trying to obtain a ticket to the Odyssey....almost analogous to a years long journey to return home to one’s wife.”
By Friday, several people online shared screenshots of ticket re-sales on eBay, where people were selling seats ranging from $599 to $1,000.
