Demand for Imax and other premium large format screenings of the adventure epic appears to be so high that AMC’s ticketing app paused briefly. Sales have resumed, but wait times are up to an hour. On social media, users complained about the difficulty of reserving tickets for the format. Nolan is a passionate advocate for Imax and used the company’s proprietary cameras to shoot “The Odyssey,” so it’s clear how he wants his new film to be seen. Imax and PLF screenings went on sale on Thursday, triggering the rush to buy seats. AMC isn’t alone — Fandango’s website also appeared to be dragging with users experiencing long wait times.

Last summer, opening weekend screenings of “The Odyssey” in Imax 70mm were made available and quickly sold out.

That’s almost unheard of for a movie to start offering seats that far in advance, but because of Nolan’s proselytizing, fans travelled across state lines to see his previous film, “Oppenheimer,” in that format.

The Odyssey hits theaters on July 17. It carries a production budget of $250 million and boasts an A-list ensemble that includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, and Robert Pattinson. Universal is releasing the film, which is expected to be one of the biggest hits of the summer. The film is a re-telling of Homer’s poem about Odysseus’ long journey home. It’s a quest that’s nearly as daunting as finding tickets to an opening night 70mm Imax screening of “The Odyssey.”

“When I’m writing, I’m visualizing the film as an audience member, as somebody experiencing the story,” Nolan told “60 Minutes” in a recent interview. “Then, when I direct the story, I’m trying to take the audience there. So, in the case of ‘The Odyssey,‘ I’m trying to put the audience into that horse. I’m trying to put them on the deck of Odysseus’s ship.