AMC and Fandango Sites Overwhelmed by Demand for Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Presales

Presales for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” went on sale Thursday for IMAX and other premium large-format screenings, triggering widespread technical problems on AMC’s website and app. Dozens of users reported glitches and delays of up to several hours while attempting to purchase tickets through the AMC app on June 4.

The app paused briefly before resuming, though wait times remained above 30 minutes into Thursday afternoon.

Fandango’s site also experienced long wait times the same day. Theaters for opening-weekend screenings filled rapidly as buyers competed for seats. “The Odyssey” is scheduled to open in theaters July 17.

It is distributed by Universal Pictures and stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, with Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o and Robert Pattinson also in the cast. The R-rated film carries a reported production budget of $250 million and is the first feature shot entirely on IMAX film.

Nolan, a two-time Oscar winner who previously directed “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight” and “Oppenheimer,” used the company’s proprietary cameras for the project.

AMC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NBC News and Universal Pictures share Comcast as a parent company. Online, some users compared the scramble to obtaining Coachella tickets, while others posted memes marking the occasion.