The movie theater comeback has a new hero: Christopher Nolan

• Movie theaters are on a comeback tour.
• Gen Z and millennials are driving ticket sales, seeing an average of seven films a year.
• AMC’s CEO said “The Odyssey” had the highest first-day ticket sales of any studio release since 2022.

Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is already breaking records, and it hasn’t hit theaters yet.

In an X post on Friday, AMC CEO Adam Aron said “The Odyssey” recorded the company’s “highest first-day ticket sales for any studio-released movie title since 2022.”

“My apologies if you encountered a long ticketing line on the AMC web site and app yesterday,” Aron said.

“The Odyssey,” based on Homer’s Greek epic poem, has seen worldwide excitement since Universal Pictures announced the film adaptation in late 2024. The film’s trailer raked in over 120 million views in its first 24 hours, in part due to the star-studded cast.

Matt Damon helms the film as Odysseus, while fans can also expect to see Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattison, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Lupita Nyong’o, and more.

“The Odyssey” comes three years after Nolan struck cinematic gold with “Oppenheimer,” which won seven Academy Awards and became a pop culture phenomenon alongside Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.”

“The Odyssey” debuts on July 17, but the build-up around ticket sales has been long in the making. In an unusual decision, IMAX announced that it would sell tickets for select screens and showtimes a year in advance. Fans who missed the first ticket drop had another opportunity on Thursday with advanced tickets for premium large-format showtimes.

On X, Aron said the only AMC releases to outpace “The Odyssey” were driven by two musical juggernauts: Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.

“Ironically, the only first-day AMC ticket sales results since 2022 that topped The Odyssey were for our very own music-oriented projects from our own AMC Theatres Distribution, namely first-day ticket sales for the Renaissance concert film from Beyonce in 2023 and our two Taylor Swift efforts in 2023 and again in 2025,” Aron said.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic and the streaming revolution dealt a harsh blow to movie theater attendance, it’s on the rebound. A Fandango report published in April said Gen Zers and millennials were driving momentum at movie theaters, spending more money and time compared to other generations.

The report said a good slate of films in 2025, the desire for out-of-the-home experiences, and social opportunities drove Gen Zers toward the movies. Both Gen Z and millennials saw an average of seven films in 2025.

“For Gen Z, it is a form of social gathering. For Millennials, it is an escape from daily routine,” the report said.

AMC has seen the boost firsthand. On Monday, the company said more than 25 million people attended its theaters in May, marking the highest May attendance since 2019.

“These immensely satisfying results reflect the strength of a diverse film slate, one that was driven both by established blockbusters with their well-known characters along with entirely new IP,” Aron said in a press release. “This current measure of success, combined with the many compelling movies coming to our screens in the weeks and months ahead, gives us great confidence as we look to the rest of 2026.”