Nolan's Odyssey opens July 17, 2026 to record praise

Director Christopher Nolan’s epic film adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey” opens in theaters on Friday, July 17, 2026, to a wave of record-breaking critical acclaim. The three-hour epic, starring Matt Damon as the hero Odysseus, has achieved the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of Nolan’s career, currently standing at 96 percent, surpassing his previous high marks.

The film chronicles Odysseus’s perilous decade-long journey home from the Trojan War as his wife Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway, awaits him in Ithaca. Their son Telemachus is portrayed by Tom Holland. The ensemble cast also includes Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, and Charlize Theron. Reviews from major publications have been overwhelmingly positive, with many describing the film as Nolan’s most ambitious and best work to date, praising its epic scale, visual grandeur, and the strength of its performances. Several critics have hailed it as a masterpiece and the film of the year.

Critics highlighted the film’s balance of massive, practical-effect-driven action sequences with an intimate focus on the emotional and psychological toll of war, drawing comparisons to Nolan’s 2023 film...