Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has triggered severe ticket scalping in Korea, prompting the state-run Korean Film Council to collect public reports on illegal resales. Tickets for the CGV theater at Yongsan Station in Seoul, the closest venue with the needed IMAX setup, sold out within minutes when sales opened on Aug. 5. Resale prices on secondhand platforms rose to nearly 100,000 won, with some pairs listed for 190,000 won. The council is asking people to report suspected scalping, while movie tickets remain in a legal gray zone under the new anti-scalping law.
An IMAX poster for the movie "The Odyssey" hangs at a theater in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster, "The Odyssey," has created a severe ticket scalping frenzy in Korea, prompting the state-run Korean Film Council to begin collecting reports from the public on illegal resales.
"The Odyssey" is the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX film cameras. Korea has no theater equipped with 70-mm film projection to display the movie in its full 1.43:1 aspect ratio. The closest venue is the CGV theater at Yongsan Station, Seoul, making its tickets among the most sought-after in the country.
When ticket sales opened on Aug. 5, CGV's website and mobile application experienced severe slowdowns due to massive traffic. The first two screenings on opening day sold out within minutes, except for wheelchair-accessible seats and front-row spots.
