The impending arrival of a new Christopher Nolan film is typically cause for celebration. With a slew of critically acclaimed blockbusters under his belt, including The Dark Knight, Inception, and Best Picture winner Oppenheimer, Nolan has long established himself as one of his generation’s defining filmmakers. If the box office projections are any indication, plenty of people are excited to see Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, next weekend. But as cinephiles count down the days until the fantasy epic hits theaters, The Odyssey has become the center of numerous internet controversies, with people criticizing everything from Nolan’s casting choices and “historical inaccuracies” in the production design. Now, Nolan has offered his thoughts on the matter.
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Speaking with The Telegraph ahead of The Odyssey‘s release, Nolan shared his response to the online backlash. “Comes with the territory,” he said. “But look, these conversations that happen before people see the film – they’re always irrelevant, because no one having them knows what the film actually is yet.”
Will The Backlash Hurt The Odyssey at the Box Office?
Given the magnitude of The Odyssey, it perhaps isn’t all that surprising to see it generate so much conversation before its release. Not only is it the newest movie from Christopher Nolan, it’s also an adaptation of one of the oldest and most legendary stories in fiction. A veteran of the industry for decades, Nolan knows how to navigate the backlash so that it doesn’t bother him (as he says in the interview, he spent a decent chunk of his career working in the Batman franchise, where fervent fans have a wide variety of opinions). Still, whenever a film sparks controversy ahead of its debut, it’s worth wondering if the backlash could have an impact on its long-term prospects.
In the case of The Odyssey, Nolan and Co. should be just fine. The backlash seems to be stemming from a very vocal minority online that isn’t reflective of the general public. Tickets for IMAX screenings of The Odyssey were selling out a year in advance (well after the film’s cast had been announced), and the opening weekend could potentially be Nolan’s highest since The Dark Knight Rises. Word of mouth is already quite enthusiastic, with early reactions praising the film as “flawless” and “just perfect.” Assuming the full written reviews take a similar tone, The Odyssey could be one of the year’s best-reviewed films and a box office smash, putting it on the path to be Universal’s main Oscar contender.
Once The Odyssey releases and more people get a chance to see it, there will undoubtedly be a plethora of opinions, including critiques and criticisms that are quite valid. With a film as big as The Odyssey, one of the year’s main cinematic events, it’s borderline impossible to please everyone. The pre-release internet backlash, however, feels a bit overblown. It’s important to keep in mind that The Odyssey is a work of fiction. Odysseus was not a real person, so “historical inaccuracy” claims (meaningful in films based on true stories) don’t hold all that much weight. The Odyssey is an adaptation of a myth, giving Nolan and his crew leeway for artistic liberties. With the way things are shaping up, general audiences don’t mind the costumes or the use of words like “daddy” and “dad.”
If The Odyssey slides a bit at the box office after a couple of weeks in theaters, it probably won’t have anything to do with any internet backlash. Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens on July 31st, and tracking indicates it could have an opening weekend as high as $250 million domestically. Marvel’s latest will significantly eat into The Odyssey‘s business, but at that point, The Odyssey will have been the main theatrical draw for two weekends and should be well on its way to a sizable haul. This has been one of 2026’s most anticipated films for quite a while, and moviegoers are going to show up regardless of what the internet says.
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