‘A towering piece of monoculture’: how The Odyssey discourse has dominated this summer
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>Christopher Nolan’s smash hit epic has continued to excite and enrage everyone from rightwingers to academics, an old-fashioned throwback to a uniting big-screen event</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/15/the-odyssey-review-christopher-nolan-matt-damon">Peter Bradshaw reviews The Odyssey</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/21/odyssey-christopher-nolan-discussion">The Odyssey: jaw-dropping action, dark magic and dolphin cameos – discuss with spoilers</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/22/the-odyssey-elon-musk-campaign">Go woke, get rich: why rightwing hate campaigns don’t affect the box office</a></p></li></ul><p>If a high-profile academic is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/27/odyssey-translator-emily-wilson-attacks-nolan-blockbuster">reviewing a movie for the London Review of Books</a>, that movie in question must be making some kind of mark on some kind of culture. And if people are actually reading a movie review in the London Review of Books, and writing thinkpieces in disagreement or favor of said movie or its review, that movie may actually be a cultural phenomenon.</p><p>Normally, volume of discourse about a movie should not be mistaken for a sign that people are actually seeing it. Sometimes online factions just have a bored fixation not shared by the rest of the world. But <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/ng-interactive/2026/jul/17/christopher-nolan-interview-oscars-the-odyssey">Christopher Nolan</a>’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/15/the-odyssey-review-christopher-nolan-matt-damon">The Odyssey</a> has some major receipts <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/20/the-odyssey-box-office">at the box office</a>, too: the movie has already outgrossed Oppenheimer, Nolan’s last movie, itself a shockingly popular movie for adults. Though The Odyssey’s audience skewed male in its first weekend, by its second its gender split was <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/07/box-office-the-odyssey-motor-city-her-private-hell-hadestown-1237002537/">closer to 50/50</a>, suggesting reach beyond the stereotypically male-driven action-adventures. It’s also reaching out to older moviegoers, an endangered demographic in a summer where under-25s have driven the success of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/12/obsession-horror-film-hollywood">Obsession</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/01/kane-parsons-20-youngest-film-maker-no-1-us-backrooms">Backrooms</a>. Three-quarters of The Odyssey’s audience has been over 25, while memes inspired by the movie (most popular: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/mattdamon">Matt Damon</a>’s anguished face portraying Odysseus listening to the sirens’ song and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/robert-pattinson">Robert Pattinson</a>’s slimy suitor demanding that “someone get these BEGGARS out of here!”) have indicated that younger people are paying attention too.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/01/the-odyssey-movie-discourse">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
Christopher Nolan’s smash hit epic has continued to excite and enrage everyone from rightwingers to academics, an old-fashioned throwback to a uniting big-screen eventPeter Bradshaw reviews The OdysseyThe Odyssey: jaw-dropping action, dark magic and dolphin cameos – discuss with spoilersGo woke, get rich: why rightwing hate campaigns don’t affect the box officeIf a high-profile academic is reviewing a movie for the London Review of Books, that movie in question must be making some kind of mark on some kind of culture. And if people are actually reading a movie review in the London Review of Books, and writing thinkpieces in disagreement or favor of said movie or its review, that movie may actually be a cultural phenomenon.Normally, volume of discourse about a movie should not be mistaken for a sign that people are actually seeing it. Sometimes online factions just have a bored fixation not shared by the rest of the world. But Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has some major receipts at the box office, too: the movie has already outgrossed Oppenheimer, Nolan’s last movie, itself a shockingly popular movie for adults. Though The Odyssey’s audience skewed male in its first weekend, by its second its gender split was closer to 50/50, suggesting reach beyond the stereotypically male-driven action-adventures. It’s also reaching out to older moviegoers, an endangered demographic in a summer where under-25s have driven the success of Obsession and Backrooms. Three-quarters of The Odyssey’s audience has been over 25, while memes inspired by the movie (most popular: Matt Damon’s anguished face portraying Odysseus listening to the sirens’ song and Robert Pattinson’s slimy suitor demanding that “someone get these BEGGARS out of here!”) have indicated that younger people are paying attention too. Continue reading...
Curation & Context
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