The Odyssey Returns to 1,000+ Theaters as Awards Heat Up

Daniel Okafor

More than 1,000 North American theaters will screen Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey again on Dec. 11, after a summer run that reached $626 million domestically and $1.8 billion worldwide.

Awards handicapping can wait. The dates cannot.

What does the December rerelease change?

Universal calls the Dec. 11 return a nationwide theatrical rerelease following the film’s record-setting summer, with bookings in more than 1,000 North American theaters across all formats, including IMAX and IMAX 70mm. International markets will continue showing the film in all formats, so the release adds a second North American run without closing the overseas rollout.

The timing arrives with awards season heating up, and The Odyssey already sits among the expected leading contenders for an array of Academy Award categories, including Best Picture. The announcement specifies no Academy voting dates or campaign schedule. The voting mechanics remain unspecified. The screen count does not.

Nolan and Emma Thomas produce through Syncopy, while Matt Damon leads the adaptation of Homer’s ancient poem as Odysseus, making his way home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. The announced ensemble also includes:

• Tom Holland
• Anne Hathaway
• Robert Pattinson
• Lupita Nyong’o
• Zendaya
• Charlize Theron

Which records does the film already hold?

Universal announced in September that The Odyssey had surpassed 2015’s Jurassic World to become the studio’s highest-grossing release of all time. The film also passed 2015’s Furious 7 as Universal’s highest-grossing international release, and it continues to play in international markets in all formats.

Nolan’s own record moved next. After opening on July 17 with his biggest debut frame internationally and globally, The Odyssey passed 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises as the top-grossing feature in his career. The change puts a new film at the top of the director’s commercial ledger, with $1.8 billion in global receipts.

The format records add a different kind of scale. The Odyssey became the first narrative feature shot entirely on IMAX film cameras, and its domestic debut produced the biggest opening frame for IMAX 70mm. It also delivered Universal’s highest-grossing opening for an R-rated title.

The rest of the summer added two more records. The film became the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever and IMAX’s highest-grossing feature ever, extending a run that has reached $626 million domestically.

Does the schedule change the awards race?

Universal has put more than 1,000 North American theaters back behind the film, including IMAX and IMAX 70mm, as awards season heats up. That expands viewing options for anyone weighing a Best Picture contender; it does not determine the result.

The practical change is access, not eligibility. More screenings can broaden familiarity with a film already expected to compete for several Academy categories. Theater counts are not ballot counts.

The Odyssey has already won the volume argument: $1.8 billion globally, $626 million at home, and a place among the expected Best Picture contenders. The December run will decide how much of that momentum becomes recognition. The arithmetic is clear. The outcome is not.