Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” Trailer Breaks Records as Fans Rush to Watch

The first trailer for The Odyssey has made a massive splash online, racking up more than 100 million views in its first 24 hours — more than double the debut performance of Nolan’s previous film, Oppenheimer, which earned about 50 million views in the same time frame.

The excitement marks a new milestone for Christopher Nolan, who is releasing his first trailer as an Oscar-winning director. Oppenheimer went on to gross nearly $1 billion worldwide and won seven Academy Awards in 2024, including Best Director and Best Picture for Nolan.

According to analytics firm WaveMetrix, The Odyssey ranked as the eighth most-viewed movie trailer of the year within its first day. It trailed only a few major releases, including The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Disney’s live-action remakes of Moana and Lilo & Stitch. Still, it was Universal Pictures’ biggest trailer launch of the year, beating even Wicked: For Good, which pulled in 113 million views in its first 24 hours.

Social media played a huge role in the trailer’s success. About 27% of views came from TikTok — more than any other platform — followed closely by YouTube at 26%. Facebook, Instagram, and X made up the rest, showing just how widely the trailer spread across the internet.

The Odyssey is scheduled to hit theaters on July 17, 2026, and will be released in both IMAX and IMAX 70mm formats. In a rare move, tickets went on sale a full year in advance, another sign of how high expectations are for the film.

The movie is a big-screen adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic The Odyssey, which follows the long and dangerous journey of Odysseus as he tries to return home after the Trojan War. The cast is packed with A-list stars, led by Matt Damon as Odysseus, alongside Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, and Charlize Theron.

Reportedly made on a $250 million budget, The Odyssey is Nolan’s most expensive film to date. That price tag reflects the director’s reputation for large-scale storytelling and practical filmmaking — a style that has consistently drawn huge audiences.

Nolan is already one of the highest-grossing directors in history, with 12 films earning more than $6 billion worldwide. His past hits include Interstellar, Dunkirk, Inception, and The Dark Knight.

If the trailer’s record-breaking performance is any indication, The Odyssey is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated movie events of the decade.