Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Defies Backlash, Set for $200 Million Opening

Washington DC, United States Jul 17, 2026 ALN: On the day of its release, I woke up at dawn and drove 25 miles to the Philadelphia suburbs to see Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, at one of the few remaining cinemas in the northeast equipped to screen large-format, super-high-resolution 70-mm IMAX movies. This format is renowned for providing an immersive viewing experience, which is particularly important for a film that promises grand visuals and epic storytelling.

I arrived to find clusters of idlers in “NOLAN” sweatshirts and Letterboxd dad hats shifting their weight, grousing outside the theater. The power had gone out, and the 8 am screening of The Odyssey would have to be canceled. Stressed-out employees manually jotted down ticket numbers in order to issue refunds (when the computers were back up and running) and handed out vouchers, apologetically. Filmgoers groaned about not being able to see the film—in its intended format, at the earliest possible time—and about wasting a day’s worth of PTO. A thought crossed my mind: Maybe it was sabotage?

Threats against Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of the ancient Homeric epic have dogged the movie, basically since its announcement. A certain class of terminally online right-winger—legitimated and amplified by no less than Elon Musk, on his own echo chamber social media platform—has been pulling their oars against the movie, and the prevailing tide of public enthusiasm for it. For a bunch of mostly stupid reasons—the casting of Black and trans actors, or of Matt Damon as wily Odysseus; the Americanized dialect; the ahistorical ship designs; the fact that Tom Holland says “dad” in the trailer—many had written The Odyssey off, sight-unseen, as nothing short of a “psyop" designed to undermine “western culture.” One X user lambasted Nolan as an enemy of “the west.”

This backlash is emblematic of a broader cultural phenomenon where certain groups perceive changes in media representation and storytelling as a threat to traditional values. The casting choices, particularly, have sparked heated debates about inclusivity and representation in Hollywood. Critics argue that these decisions dilute the authenticity of classic tales, while supporters maintain that diverse casting opens the door for new interpretations and accessibility to wider audiences.

Even the near-unanimous good reviews (The Odyssey currently holds a 96 percent Critic’s Score on Rotten Tomatoes) were seen as part of a “woke conspiracy.” These self-appointed Odyssey haters conspired to downvote the movie’s trailers and generally campaign against seeing the movie, revealing the lengths to which some will go to express their discontent with perceived cultural shifts.

But there was no sabotage at the King of Prussia Regal Cinema. The local power grid map shows dozens of similar outages across the region, attributable to recent bouts of extreme weather. And I was told this cinema, specifically, had been suffering from outages in recent weeks. This incident highlights the vulnerability of local infrastructures and how external factors can impact significant cultural events, such as a major film release.

Bracketing a few hundred early-morning soldiers of cinema turned away from a multiplex, and a few thousands dollars in squandered revenue to the theater, the boycott against The Odyssey is shaping up to be a tremendous failure. Early ticket sales—including IMAX screenings sold out across the country—are indicating a $200 million worldwide box office return. This would make it the most profitable opening for any of Christopher Nolan’s movies that don’t feature the character Batman. Resale markets have seen tickets fetching $1,000—for a movie! It wouldn’t be shocking if The Odyssey clears a billion dollars, globally, when all is said and done.

The anticipation surrounding The Odyssey is a testament to Nolan's reputation as a filmmaker capable of drawing massive audiences. His previous works have often been characterized by their inventive narratives and technical prowess, and this film is no exception. The allure of seeing a beloved epic brought to life by a director known for his ambitious storytelling has galvanized fans, even amidst the noise of the backlash.

People are booking off work to see the movie. Die-hards are crossing state lines, and national borders, to see the movie on the biggest screens possible. A story circulated earlier this week of a California woman who delayed her pregnancy so as not to spoil the chance of seeing the movie, opening weekend, on IMAX 70-mm. I myself traveled about an hour-and-change round-trip only to not see it. This level of dedication is indicative of how deeply ingrained the cinematic experience is in contemporary culture, where films serve not just as entertainment but as communal events that bring people together.

The disjoint between the anti-Odyssey backlash and the film’s actual, organic fandom is revealing. Despite the best efforts by some of the world’s worst people, you just can’t quell the basic human desire to see big-name actors on enormous screens, battling enormous monsters and bedding down with witches. You can downvote a trailer. But you cannot downvote the dreams of the larger moviegoing public. This sentiment reflects a fundamental truth about cinema: it is a shared experience that transcends individual grievances and resonates on a collective level.

It speaks to just how cavernous the chasm is between certain elements of “The Discourse” and reality itself. Maybe they should have picked a more modest target to derail, and not a filmmaker whose movies, whatever one thinks of them, are pretty much synonymous with “making money.” This disconnect raises questions about the effectiveness of online activism and the extent to which it can influence real-world outcomes, especially in the realm of entertainment.

So much of this culture war jockeying exists purely online, to sustain an infrastructure of monetized outrage that is increasingly preoccupied with Western chauvinism, racism, and just plain antisocial weirdness. It reminds me of a favorite Simpsons joke, where Marge bakes Homer (the other one) a fake cake to ruin so that he won’t destroy Maggie’s real birthday cake. X is the fake cake. This analogy underscores the absurdity of the situation, where the outrage often distracts from the actual enjoyment of cinema and the artistry involved in filmmaking.

All is not lost for the anti-Nolanites, however. Earlier week, it was announced that AI film studio Fountain 0 is releasing a completely AI-generated Odyssey movie, to cash-in on both the excitement around Nolan’s movie and the backlash. This development highlights the growing trend of utilizing AI in creative fields, raising questions about authenticity and the future of storytelling. While some may see this as a viable alternative, others might argue that it lacks the human touch that traditional filmmaking brings.

It feels like a concession to the haters. Real movie fans can have a real, three-hour IMAX action blockbuster. The armchair defenders of Western civilization can hate on Nolan and get their Odyssey fix with some rushed-to-streaming AI slop—a rare chance for them to have their fake cake, and eat it too. This ironic twist suggests that while there is a market for both traditional and AI-generated content, the essence of storytelling may be lost in the pursuit of quick profits and sensationalism.