Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey Just Broke His Own Record—Six Months Before Release
The Odyssey has ignited a frenzy, with its trailer racking up 121 million views in 24 hours—more than double Oppenheimer’s day-one tally—signaling a full-blown phenomenon in the making.
I do not say this lightly: Christopher Nolan just dropped a trailer for The Odyssey and the internet practically sprinted to hit play. The numbers are wild, the format play is even wilder, and yes, people are already arguing about the armor.
Quick hits
- Trailer views: 121 million in the first 24 hours, more than double Oppenheimer's 50 million day-one views (per Forbes)
- Best trailer launch of Nolan's career so far
- Budget: $250 million
- Release date: July 17, 2026
- Format stunt: billed as the first feature shot entirely in IMAX
- Exhibition plan: IMAX has a reported exclusive run from July 17 to August 14, 2026
- Prep for demand: one report oddly says 'Cinemax' is adding more 70mm screens ahead of release — which reads like someone meant IMAX or a theater chain; either way, expect more 70mm capacity
- Cast glimpse: the first-look image features Matt Damon
Why the trailer blew up
Two things are fueling this: the movie looks massive, and Nolan is coming off a monster run. Oppenheimer cleaned up at the Oscars and turned into a legit cultural event, so curiosity around his follow-up is sky-high. Add in the promise of wall-to-wall IMAX and you get that rare trailer that doubles someone else’s blockbuster benchmark out of the gate.
Summer 2026 is crowded, but this has a head start
Summer 2026 is already packed, but The Odyssey is setting itself up to cut through the noise. That four-week IMAX exclusivity is a big swing — it locks down the most premium screens right out of the gate and keeps competitors boxed out during the prime launch window. If IMAX and the major circuits do add more 70mm-capable auditoriums (the 'Cinemax' note is clearly a mix-up, but the intent is obvious), that only widens the runway.
Between the scale, the format, and Nolan’s post-Oppenheimer momentum, it’s hard to see audiences not showing up. Word of mouth will do what it does, but all the structural advantages are there for a long, healthy run.
About the 'is it historically accurate?' chatter
The trailer also kicked up debate over how strictly the movie sticks to its period. Costumes and armor in particular are getting side-eyed by history die-hards for mixing design elements from other eras. The production, meanwhile, is leaning hard into practical sets and on-location work — very Nolan — but the fidelity question is going to be a talking point.
Big picture: Homer’s Odyssey was never a literal historical record. Filmmakers regularly bend period details to make a better movie (Ridley Scott has been doing that forever), and the early hype suggests most people are not bothered. The trailer’s numbers make that pretty clear.
Where this could land
If the trajectory holds, The Odyssey has a real shot at becoming Nolan’s biggest hit. The billion-dollar question is on the table — Oppenheimer fell just short of that line, and this one has an even larger-format play baked in from day one.
The Odyssey hits theaters July 17, 2026. Curious where you land on the history vs. spectacle debate — does the accuracy nitpicking matter to you, or are you here for the full-tilt IMAX experience?