BFI apologises after The Odyssey ticket sale glitch sparks backlash from Christopher Nolan fans

London film fans were left frustrated on Monday morning after a technical glitch on the BFI website disrupted ticket sales for Sir Christopher Nolan's highly-anticipated epic The Odyssey.

Tickets for a series of 70mm IMAX screenings went on sale at 8am, prompting thousands of cinephiles to join a virtual queue in the hope of securing seats for one of the year's most eagerly awaited releases.

However, many users reported reaching the front of the queue only to be kicked back to the end, with some suddenly finding themselves behind more than 15,000 people after waiting for almost two hours.

One frustrated fan wrote on X: “@BFI I waited in the Odyssey tickets queue for almost 2 hours and finally got to my turn at 09:45 only to be redirected to a page that says I lost my place in the queue.”

Another added: “Extremely disappointed with @BFI. I was in the queue for 40 minutes to get tickets to see The Odyssey, only to be told I'd lost my place and had to start all over again. Terrible experience.”

Others shared similar stories, with one user claiming they had reached position 387 in the queue before being sent back behind nearly 7,000 people.

The scramble reflects the extraordinary demand surrounding Nolan's latest film, which stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the legendary Greek king whose decade-long journey home forms the basis of Homer's ancient epic.

As complaints mounted online, some cinema-goers began directing disappointed fans towards alternative screenings at London's Science Museum, which also boasts a 70mm IMAX screen.

“If you've realised you're never seeing The Odyssey at the BFI IMAX because of the insane queue, try the Science Museum,” one user suggested. “I've just booked there instead for opening weekend.”

The BFI later acknowledged the issue and apologised to customers.

“We're aware of the issues faced by some BFI IMAX customers today as a result of our online queueing system,” the organisation said in a statement.

“On discovery, we worked with our box office system provider to resolve these as soon as possible. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment caused.”

The BFI added that its website was now operating normally and that tickets remained available for most screenings through August 17.

As well as their social media statement, the BFI told Evening Standard: “Due to the incredible demand there has been understandable pressure on our ticketing systems, however the BFI team has been working hard to respond to all enquiries and ensure that as many customers as possible were able to complete their orders.

“In the first 2 hours, we were able to sell over 20,000 tickets for what promises to be the cinematic event of the summer.

“However, we apologise to those who faced issues with our online queueing system this morning. We are incredibly proud to be presenting the film on a pristine IMAX 70mm print on the UK’s largest screen, making BFI IMAX one of the world’s preeminent venues to experience this epic story as intended by the filmmakers.”

The Odyssey boasts a star-studded cast including Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o and Travis Scott.

The film marks Nolan's first project since Oppenheimer, which earned him his first Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture.

The filmmaker is also known for Inception, Dunkirk and The Dark Knight trilogy.