Image adapted from Wikimedia Commons
Few films manage to turn their premiere into a global event. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has done exactly that.
Even before its release, tickets for IMAX 70 mm screenings sold out across several markets—an unusual achievement for an original production based on a classical epic poem. Following its premiere, the film became one of the biggest commercial successes of Nolan’s career and one of the year’s highest-grossing cinematic phenomena.
But its real success began long before audiences entered the cinema.
The project brings together almost every element capable of capturing the attention of the entertainment industry.
Christopher Nolan, the Academy Award-winning director of Oppenheimer, directed the most expensive film of his career, with an estimated budget of US$250 million. The production was filmed entirely on IMAX 70 mm—a first for a feature film—using more than two million feet of film and real locations across Greece, Italy, Morocco, Scotland, and Iceland.
The cast also helped turn the film into a cultural event.
Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, joined by Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, and a host of other internationally renowned actors.
Another subject that dominated public conversation was the costume design.
As soon as the first images were released, historians and experts began debating the historical accuracy of the armour worn by Matt Damon. Rather than damaging the film, the discussion fuelled even greater public curiosity and expanded the production’s presence across social media and the specialist press.
The Odyssey demonstrates that today, the biggest successes are not simply released—they are carefully built.
Christopher Nolan did not just sell a film. He created an event.
Every decision reinforced that perception: filming entirely in IMAX, prioritising real locations instead of relying solely on digital effects, assembling an intergenerational cast, and revisiting one of the most influential stories in human history.
There is another particularly interesting detail.
While much of the industry continues to invest in sequels, shared universes, and recent intellectual property, Nolan chose a story written nearly three thousand years ago.
The innovation did not lie in the narrative itself. It lay in the way it was presented.
It is also a masterclass in positioning.
Today’s audiences are looking for experiences that justify leaving home. By turning the very act of watching the film—particularly in IMAX cinemas—into part of the narrative, Nolan elevated cinema from entertainment to a premium experience.
The results are reflected at the box office, where premium-format screenings accounted for a significant share of the film’s global revenue.
For businesses, the message is clear. Products can be copied. Memorable experiences are far more difficult to replicate.
In a market where attention has become the most contested asset, does the real competitive advantage still lie in the product—or in the way it is presented to the world?
