Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is closing its theatrical run just shy of $1.82 billion worldwide, and it got there as an R-rated, nearly three-hour adaptation of a poem written almost 3,000 years ago. In India, the film has collected Rs 196.64 crore net across its English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions, according to Sacnilk.
This post covers the release details, the full cast with character names, the story setup without spoilers, what critics said with their actual ratings, day-wise India box office numbers, and where the film goes next now that its theatrical run is ending.
Release Date and Launch Details
The Odyssey premiered at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on July 6, 2026, and Universal Pictures released it theatrically on July 17, 2026 in the United States and the United Kingdom. It opened in India on the same day in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
- Director and writer: Christopher Nolan, produced with Emma Thomas under their Syncopy banner for Universal Pictures
- Source material: Homer’s Odyssey, the ancient Greek epic poem
- Budget: Reported at $250 million, among the most expensive films of Nolan’s career
- Runtime: 173 minutes. The film carries an R rating in the US and an A certificate in India
- Music: Ludwig Göransson. Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema. Editing: Jennifer Lame
- Technical first: The first feature film shot entirely with IMAX 70 mm film cameras, with a soundproof blimp built to mute the camera during dialogue scenes
- Filming: 91 days of principal photography across Morocco, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Iceland, Western Sahara, Malta and the Universal Studios Lot in Los Angeles
Tickets for select IMAX 70 mm opening weekend shows went on sale a full year before release, a move almost unheard of for a major studio title. Some of those shows sold out within 12 hours. When general premium format tickets opened on June 4, 2026, Fandango and AMC queues ran up to an hour long.
Full Cast
Matt Damon plays Odysseus, and Nolan built one of the biggest ensembles of the year around him:
- Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca trying to get home after the Trojan War
- Tom Holland as Telemachus, Odysseus and Penelope’s son, the prince of Ithaca searching for his father
- Anne Hathaway as Penelope, queen of Ithaca, holding off the suitors in her husband’s absence
- Robert Pattinson as Antinous, the nobleman leading the suitors who plots to take the throne
- Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, in a dual role
- Zendaya as Athena, the goddess who protects Odysseus on his journey
- Charlize Theron as Calypso, the nymph who offers Odysseus immortality on her island
- Samantha Morton as Circe, the witch of Aeaea
- Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, king of Sparta
- Benny Safdie as Agamemnon, the Greek commander at Troy
- Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, Odysseus’s second-in-command
- John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, the blind swineherd loyal to Odysseus
- Elliot Page as Sinon, the Greek soldier whose story Nolan borrowed from Virgil
- Bill Irwin as the on-set performer of Polyphemus, the Cyclops
- Travis Scott appears in a cameo as a bard
Story Summary
Twenty years after the Trojan War, Odysseus has still not returned to Ithaca. Suitors crowd his palace, pressuring Penelope to remarry so one of them can claim the throne, while his son Telemachus grows up without a father. Only Penelope, Telemachus and the old servant Eumaeus still believe Odysseus is alive.
The film follows two threads. On one side, Telemachus travels to Sparta to learn what happened to his father while Antinous conspires against him. On the other, Odysseus washes up on the island of Ogygia with his memory gone, cared for by the nymph Calypso. When the goddess Athena pushes him to remember who he is, he sets out on the long voyage home, facing the Cyclops, the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and a descent into the underworld along the way. Nolan’s take frames Odysseus as a war veteran haunted by what he did at Troy, which gives the ancient story a darker, more personal engine.
What Critics Are Saying
The Odyssey is the best-reviewed film of Nolan’s career. On Rotten Tomatoes, 94 percent of 515 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.7 out of 10, and the site’s consensus calls it a film that “imbues myth with primal human feeling.” Metacritic assigns it 88 out of 100 from 63 critics, indicating universal acclaim. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an A, and 81 percent of PostTrak respondents said they would definitely recommend it.
- Robbie Collin, The Daily Telegraph: “Nolan and his collaborators have constructed a strange, fearsome and trailblazing machine of a movie, by some distance, the best of the year so far.”
- Randy Myers, The Mercury News: “Another feather in Nolan’s masterpiece cap, a grandiose achievement that fills audiences with the same child-like glee experienced when watching Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans for the first time.”
- Guy Lodge, Variety: A “vast, thrilling, slightly aloof epic” that gives the audience so much the chilliness works.
- Richard Brody, The New Yorker: Nolan “turns an epic poem prosaic.”
- Stephanie Zacharek, Time: Called the film an “eye-glazing dud.”
Reviewers also argued over Nolan’s departures from Homer. Classicist Mary Beard said the film drops the poem’s humour and sex, while translator Emily Wilson called it a simple action film lacking “psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth.” Others, like Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian, praised its ambition and grim scope.
Box Office Collection
As of October 27, 2026, The Odyssey has grossed $1.816 billion worldwide, per Box Office Mojo figures cited by Wikipedia. That breaks down to about $626 million in the United States and Canada and $1.19 billion in other territories. Sacnilk’s worldwide tally converts to roughly Rs 16,400 crore.
India collection, according to Sacnilk:
- India net: Rs 196.64 crore (English version Rs 169.64 crore, with Hindi, Tamil and Telugu adding about Rs 27 crore)
- India gross: Rs 234.21 crore
- Day 1 (July 17): Rs 13.75 crore net (English)
- Day 2: Rs 17.75 crore. Day 3: Rs 17.00 crore
- Day 4: Rs 6.30 crore. Day 5: Rs 6.50 crore. Day 6: Rs 5.25 crore. Day 7: Rs 5.00 crore
- The first eight days alone crossed the Rs 150 crore milestone in India, a slow-burn run rather than an explosive one
Worldwide milestones: The opening weekend worldwide was an estimated $264.1 million, including $124.5 million domestically and $139.6 million internationally. IMAX alone contributed $51.8 million to that debut, a premium format record. The film crossed $1 billion worldwide within three weeks, passed The Dark Knight Rises to become Nolan’s highest-grossing film by August 9, overtook Deadpool and Wolverine’s $1.338 billion in August to become the highest-grossing R-rated film ever, and passed Jurassic World in September to become Universal’s biggest worldwide release. By August 10 it had also overtaken Avatar as the highest-grossing IMAX film of all time.
Sacnilk notes that its box office data is compiled from various sources and can differ from producer figures, so treat the numbers as close estimates.
OTT Release: Where to Watch
The Odyssey is finishing its theatrical run, and Universal has confirmed one home media date: the film arrives on digital platforms and Ultra HD Blu-ray on November 17, 2026, 120 days after its theatrical release. Nolan has long pushed physical media over streaming, and the day-and-date digital plus disc release fits that stance.
No streaming date has been announced. For expectation setting only: Universal’s streaming home in the United States is Peacock, so a later streaming window there is expected, and the India streaming partner has not been announced either. Treat any OTT date you see as unconfirmed until Universal or an Indian platform says so officially.
FAQ
What is The Odyssey box office collection in India?
The Odyssey has collected Rs 196.64 crore India net across its English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions, according to Sacnilk, with India gross at Rs 234.21 crore. The English version alone accounts for Rs 169.64 crore of that total.
What is The Odyssey worldwide box office total?
As of October 27, 2026, the film has grossed $1.816 billion worldwide, with about $626 million from the United States and Canada and $1.19 billion from other territories. It is Christopher Nolan’s highest-grossing film and the highest-grossing R-rated film ever.
What is The Odyssey OTT release date?
The confirmed date is November 17, 2026 for digital purchase and Ultra HD Blu-ray. A streaming release date has not been announced. Any streaming window you see reported is expected, not confirmed.
Who is in The Odyssey cast?
Matt Damon plays Odysseus, with Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Zendaya as Athena, Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, Charlize Theron as Calypso and Samantha Morton as Circe. The film is directed by Christopher Nolan.
Is The Odyssey suitable for kids?
The film carries an R rating in the US and an A certificate in India, with battle violence and dark themes around war and guilt. It runs 173 minutes, so plan accordingly for younger viewers.
