Renowned director Christopher Nolan remains devoted to his support of film theaters - the latest trailer for his upcoming epic The Odyssey will only be shown in movie theaters, first as part of the screening of Jurassic World Rebirth, another Universal Studios epic that just started showing in theaters. The Odyssey itself is projected to start showing in the summer of 2026 (July 17, 2026, to be precise). At the moment, there are no indications if, and if so, when, the trailer will be available online or whether it will be screened in theaters along with some other upcoming projected blockbusters.
The Odyssey itself, based on Homer's classic, is projected to be a certain blockbuster, as its cast stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and Tom Holland as Odysseus' son Telemachus. The rest of the cast is no less remarkable and includes Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, and Corey Hawkins.
This is not the first time that Nolan has resorted to this movie theaters only trailer tactic. The director of such office blockbusters as Tenet and Oppenheimer, the film that won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor in 2024, used a similar concept for both as his sign of support for film theaters.
When Warner Bros released Tenet in 2020, it was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was done on Nolan’s insistence in the hope that it would give struggling movie theaters some form of support. Moving the production of Oppenheimer to Universal, Nolan also set out a series of terms, including a 100-day theatrical exclusivity window, as well as a similar trailer concept that is being applied for The Odyssey - it was screened only in IMAX auditoriums ahead of Avatar: The Way of Water.
Some filmmakers, as well as viewers, might have questions about Nolan’s concept, but it seems to have worked for the director so far. Oppenheimer’s subject matter was certainly no light viewing and the film had an R-rating, but with its $975 million gross worldwide it became the highest grossing biopic of all time, as the highest grossing Best Picture winner since Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and that was 20 years before Oppenheimer hit the theaters.
Whether The Odyssey will reach such a height remains to be seen, but with Nolan's track record, the cast and the film's theme, all indications are that it just might. The theaters only trailer concept might play its role too, and it might hit online outlets at some point later on this year.
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