The Odyssey is proving blockbuster cinema was never dead, we just stopped making it

There was a point where going to the cinema stopped feeling like an event. A new film would land on streaming a few weeks later, everyone would promise to watch it “eventually”, and the whole experience became… forgettable.

Then comes Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.

Before it’s even released, The Odyssey has somehow done the impossible: It’s got people genuinely excited about going to the cinema again. Not just because it’s another Nolan film, but because it actually feels like a cultural event. Suddenly everyone’s talking about seeing it together, planning trips, comparing tickets and trying to avoid (3000 year old) spoilers before opening weekend.

It helps that the cast is absolutely stacked, but that’s only part of it. Nolan has gone all in on making this a film you have to see on the biggest screen possible. Bringing back IMAX 15/70mm projection wasn’t cheap, but he clearly wasn’t interested in cutting corners if it meant delivering the best cinematic experience possible.

And people have responded accordingly. Cinemas are selling out, with 70mm IMAX screenings disappearing almost instantly. Getting one of those tickets feels less like booking a film and more like trying to get into a stadium gig the second they go on sale.

That’s exactly what blockbuster films used to be. For years we’ve been told cinema is dying because streaming is more convenient. But The Odyssey suggests people were never bored of cinemas, they were bored of films that didn’t feel worth leaving the house for.

Nolan has reminded Hollywood that audiences will absolutely turn up when a film feels exclusive, ambitious and made for the big screen. Instead of treating cinemas as a brief stop before streaming, he’s made the theatrical experience the whole point.

Whether The Odyssey ends up being Nolan’s best film is another conversation entirely. But one thing already feels undeniable: He’s made going to the cinema feel special again.

For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page.

Featured image credit: Universal