Oppenheimer fans are paying hundreds to see the movie in IMAX 70mm
The movie event of the summer has officially arrived. There's just one problem: It's basically impossible to get good seats.
Since its premiere last weekend, tickets for Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer have been selling fast. But while it's easy for any schmuck to see the epic biopic in digital, Nolan has made it clear that the best way to see his film is in IMAX 70mm — a format that only 30 locations in the U.S. are capable of playing. The exclusivity has made this the most coveted movie ticket of the summer, with fans willing to pay hundreds of dollars for a chance to see the movie in its intended format.
On Monday, a Craigslist post selling eight 70mm IMAX tickets for the whopping price of $1,400 went viral on social media. The seats in a Midtown Manhattan theater were in the fourth row, "perfect center" and could not be sold separately.
The post has since been deleted (leaving us to wonder if someone really spent more than a grand on movie tickets), but plenty more tickets are being resold and requested on third-party websites like Craigslist and eBay.
One eBay sale lists two mid-August tickets with a starting bid of $499. Over on Craigslist, there are a few reasonably-priced tickets — like a fair $20 for IMAX seats in Grand Rapids, Mich. — while others bump the price significantly. Some fans are even posting Wanted ads, seeking out those willing to part with their tickets.
"Will pay over retail up to $150+ for good seats and date," wrote one anonymous Bay Area user. Elsewhere, a New Yorker is requesting two seats for any Aug. 6 showing, promising to pay a total of $300.
Starring Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, and Robert Downey Jr, the movie tells the story of Robert J. Oppenheimer (Murphy), long known as "the Father of the Atomic Bomb." Despite not having the franchise or family appeal of most summer blockbusters, the film cracked $80.5 million in its opening weekend. The phenomenon is partially due to the Barbenheimer craze, which involves pairing the biopic with Barbie for a bizarre double feature.
In a promo for the film, the cast and crew made a point of highlighting the allure of seeing the film on the biggest screen possible.
"Oppenheimer's story is one of the biggest stories imaginable," Nolan said. "Our film tries to take you into his experience, and IMAX for me is a portal into a level of emotion that you can't get from other formats."
The filmmaker continued, "IMAX 70mm is the highest-quality imaging format that's ever been devised. It allows you to fully immerse yourself in the story. When the audience is able to see this in IMAX, on the big screen, they will be able to experience an extraordinary moment in human history."
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