经过一大片首映周末nd rave reviews, it seems Bay Area film fanatics are willing to spend upward of $75 a ticket to see “Oppenheimer” in 70mm IMAX — nearly four times the face value.

The传记片, starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, centers around the theoretical physicist and UC Berkeley professor’s development of the atomic bomb during World War II. Featuring a star-studded cast, it’s chock-full of dialogue about science and politics. But in the hands of director Christopher Nolan — known for his booming, loud soundtracks and visually stunning cinematic style — “Oppenheimer” was made to be watched on the biggest screen possible.

“The sharpness and the clarity and the depth of the image is unparalleled,”Nolan told the Associated Pressbefore the film’s theatrical release on Friday, July 21. “The headline, for me, is by shooting on IMAX 70mm film, you’re really letting the screen disappear. You’re getting a feeling of 3D without the glasses. You’ve got a huge screen and you’re filling the peripheral vision of the audience. You’re immersing them in the world of the film.”

Only30 theatersworldwide are presenting “Oppenheimer” in 70mm IMAX, with AMC Metreon 16 off Mission Street the only San Francisco location. Two other Northern California theaters, Dublin’s Regal Hacienda Crossings and Sacramento’s Esquire IMAX, are showing the film in 70mm IMAX, but the Metreon remains the most sought after.

Tickets at the Metreon are nearly sold out for the next few weeks, according to the theater’s website, with only a few single seats at the front of the massive IMAX screen available. This has prompted local moviegoers, desperate to catch Nolan’s film in the format that he intended, to offer well over $18.89 (the face value of an adult ticket) through resale tickets.

One moviegoer searching for ticketsposted to the San Francisco Bay Area Craigslist sitethat they were “looking for 2 Oppenheimer tickets for 70mm IMAX at Metreon any day any time. Will pay over retail up to $150+ for good seats and date.”

Massimo Michiels, who flew to San Francisco from his home in New York to visit a friend, purchased 70mm IMAX tickets to the film five days ahead directly from AMC, avoiding the exorbitant resale prices. After catching the 10:30 a.m. screening at the Metreon on Tuesday, July 25, Michiels concluded that the advance planning was worth it.

“It was phenomenal,” he said. “The screen with the panorama made it very immersive, and the sound quality was so high that you felt your ribs shaking sometimes.”

We are so backpic.twitter.com/Aefa3afGn5

— Huge Ma (@turbovax)July 24, 2023

This crazed resale trend has echoed nationwide, with oneX(formerly known as Twitter) user sharing a screenshot of a listing in which someone in New York was offering eight 70mm IMAX “Oppenheimer” for $1,400. The caption simply read, “We are back,” reflective of the massive revenue that “Oppenheimer” and itsopening weekend twin“Barbie” have been generating for theaters nationwide.

“Oppenheimer” made $80.5 million at the box office over opening weekend, while Sacramento-raised directorGreta Gerwig’s “Barbie” earned $155 million, marking the biggest debut ever for a film directed by a woman, according toVariety.

美联社(Associated Press)导致了这个s report.

Reach Zara Irshad:Zara.Irshad@sfchronicle.com