Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, a three-hour onscreen adaptation of Homer’s Greek epic, Odyssey, opened in cinemas across the world on 17 July 2026 and quickly surpassed already-high expectations, breaking huge IMAX box-office records and becoming an instant audience hit.
An A-List cast and IMAX screens bring in boatloads of cinemagoers
Shot entirely with IMAX Film Cameras, The Odyssey secured the biggest IMAX box-office opening weekend for Ster-Kinekor across its mere nine IMAX sites nationwide since 2019, rivaling that year’s The Avengers: Endgame and The Lion King as well as 2018’s The Avengers: Infinity War.
Even more impressive is that, according to data from Exhibitor Relations, The Odyssey generated a massive $263.5 million globally during its opening weekend, instantly clearing the film’s reported $250 million production budget in just three days.
A hit amongst critics and audiences alike
Though The Odyssey‘s runtime is just shy of three hours, it certainly doesn’t feel like it, gripping its audience from its first minute to its last. Since its release, the film has already garnered praise from critics and audiences alike, sitting steady at 4.3/5 on Letterboxd from over 500 000 reviews and earning a 95% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Largely an action epic, the film also features elements of fantasy and horror with sound design that is at times thrilling and at other times terrifying. The film’s basic premise follows the Greek hero Odysseus (Matt Damon) after the Trojan War, as he faces an arduous 10-year voyage back to his hometown of Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens and Circe along the way.
As Odysseus attempts to make his way home, his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland) struggle to keep peace in Ithaca as restlessness and danger grows with the fate of their leader yet unknown.
Odysseus’ journey with his army brings him to friends and foes alike in a trauma-filled trek of tragedy and self-discovery. Though readers of Homer’s original tale may say that the film does stray from the text in various ways, fans of the book still regard it as a cinematic triumph, with the creative liberties serving to better ground Odysseus’ character.
Though each and every cast member more than holds their own, from the main cast to the extras, some standout performances in The Odyssey include Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, Samantha Morton as Circe, Corey Hawkins as Polybus, Elliot Page as Sinon and John Leguizamo as Eumaeus.
When to watch: The Odyssey opened in theatres on 17 July 2026
Where to watch: In IMAX cinemas nationwide
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