Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey has taken the unusual step of selling some tickets a year early. Is it a way forward for beleaguered studios – or just a stunt?

Marketing campaigns for summer blockbusters have traditionally kicked in around six months before release. But one film not playing by these rules is Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, his much-discussed take on Homer's epic, starring Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Lupita Nyong'o and many more. Earlier this month, more than a year in advance of its 17 July general release date, a teaser trailer started showing in cinemas. And then on 17 July itself, in an unprecedented move, tickets went on sale for opening weekend screenings in Imax 70mm – Nolan's preferred format for all his films. Less than a day after those tickets were made available, most of them were sold out, and scalpers were reselling them for upwards of $200 (£148).

It's a testament to Nolan's remarkable pulling power that he, along with Imax and Universal Pictures, has been able to get audiences flocking to buy tickets for a film this far in advance, when it hasn't even finished shooting yet. And specifically, he's got fans excited about seeing it in 70mm – a traditional large-scale film stock known for providing a matchless visual experience, which was developed in the 1950s and has been making a comeback in recent years thanks to filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler. Earlier this year, Coogler urged people to see his hit vampire thriller Sinners in this same film gauge – but without the dramatically-timed ticket release to boot.

Indeed, entertainment journalist Tatyana Arrington thinks that the success of Imax screenings of Sinners may have played into the thinking behind The Odyssey's unique sales strategy. "I feel like there was such a charge for [Imax screenings of Sinners] that Hollywood couldn't help but see the success of that," she tells the BBC. "And with [The Odyssey] being a film that everybody's looking forward to, [the team behind it must have thought] 'how can we maximize on that even further?'"

This latest strategy slots into Nolan's ongoing mission to encourage audiences into cinemas by making films into a real event. And The Odyssey has a winning combination – of huge star power and a universally recognised story – that motivates people to make that happen. As Arrington says: "The kids like Zendaya. The older generation likes Matt Damon. This person likes Lupita. There's........

© BBC