Why Selling Movie Tickets A Year In Advance Is A Great Idea
Universal's "all in" marketing approach for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is a wise move.
Welcome to MovieNewsPro for Wednesday, July 16th. Here's what you need to know.
🎬 Today's Take
According to numerous online sources, Universal plans to sell tickets for Christopher Nolan's upcoming film The Odyssey a full year in advance.
This is a seriously bold move. But you have to admire Universal’s decision to go "all in", pushing all their chips to the center of the table. The Odyssey is shot entirely with IMAX cameras, so it’s a safe bet that it will look stunning. Based on the Greek epic, the film stars major names like Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Anne Hathaway.
There’s buzz and anticipation, and booking revenue a year in advance is so unprecedented that it’s bound to draw attention. Demand creates scarcity, and scarcity creates FOMO. And of course, that’s likely the goal here.
If The Odyssey turns out to be a total flop, the studio will have at least secured the revenue early. But if it’s a massive hit, expect every studio in the industry to start selling tickets a year ahead.
🎥 Industry Intel
BoulderLight Pictures, the team behind Barbarian are developing a new Amityville Horror film. (Deadline)
Netflix and YouTube appear to be on a collision course as they battle for control of the streaming market. (New York Times)
Have you heard about Art House Theater Day, set for July 24th? (Art House Convergence)
📈 Movie Stock Index
Market Close: Wednesday, July 16th, 2025
Total Value: $114,770.86
Today's Change: $723.87 (0.63)
Total Gain/Loss (Since 05/12/25): $14,770.84 (14.77%)
Decent day for the Movie Stock Index, as we closed up .63%. WBD has the leader to the upside, with AMC also ending up.
Disclaimer: The MovieNewsPro Stock Index is a virtual index - there are no actual funds invested. Sector index total value dollar amounts are based on an initial hypothetical investment of $100,000 on May 12th, 2025. MovieNewsPro and/or its publisher may own stock or have interest in the companies mentioned. We are not licensed investment advisors and our information should not be used as investment advice. Invest wisely.
🏆 Upcoming Film Festivals
New York Asian Film Festival, US - July 11-27
Golden Apricot International Film Festival, Armenia - July 13-20
Fantasia International Film Festival, Canada - July 17-August 3
Jerusalem Film Festival, Israel - July 17-27
New Horizons International Film Festival, Poland - July 17-27
Waco Independent Film Festival, US - July 17-20
Burgas International Film Festival, Bulgaria - July 19-25
Malaysia International Film Festival, Malaysia - July 19-27
Cinema Rediscovered, UK - July 23-27
Comic-Con, US - July 24-27
Woods Hole Film Festival, US - July 26-August 2
BlackStar Film Festival, US - July 31-August 3
📺 Watch This Tonight
Putney Swope (1969)
Directed by Robert Downey Sr.
An insane takedown of Madison Avenue in the 60s, this satirical masterpiece borders on surreal.
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MovieNewsPro is a film industry news monitoring service. All stories have been previously reported elsewhere and are not exclusive stories to MNP. All information is believed to be accurate at the time of reporting. MovieNewsPro uses a full array of technology to gather information, including machine learning, automation and artificial intelligence throughout its business monitoring, editing and reporting process.
