Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Is Finally Sailing Home With Exclusive Special Features as Home Release Date Is Revealed
For months, the only way to see Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey‘ was to buy a ticket and settle into a theater seat for nearly 3 hours. The film was built for the big screen, shot entirely with IMAX cameras and sold out for 70mm showings a year in advance. That kind of event cinema is hard to replicate on a living-room television, but fans now have a way to try.
Universal has confirmed that the film is heading to home screens, and a new 29-second teaser shows figures tumbling down a rope against a red sail, a taste of the spectacle audiences can revisit. The company says the home release will include exclusive special features. It marks the end of a record-breaking theatrical run that began in July.
The home release arrives on November 17, when ‘The Odyssey’ becomes available to rent or buy on digital platforms such as Apple TV, Fandango at Home and Prime Video. A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, along with a DVD, arrives the same day. That is exactly 4 months after the film opened in theaters on July 17.
The timeline mirrors the one used for ‘Oppenheimer’, which spent 123 days in theaters before moving to premium video on demand and physical media in November 2023. Both films enjoyed unusually long theatrical windows compared with most major studio releases. For physical media fans, it is also notable that the 4K disc arrives on the same day as the digital version.
According to listings, the DVD is a 2-disc set and the 4K edition comes with 3 discs. Details of the special features, behind-the-scenes content and any director’s commentary had not been revealed when the date was announced. The new teaser confirms the exclusive extras, though the contents remain a mystery for now.
The numbers behind the film are enormous. ‘The Odyssey’ opened to $264.1 million worldwide, including $124.5 million from 3,919 domestic theaters and $139.6 million from 73 international markets. That made it the biggest global opening of Nolan’s career, ahead of ‘Oppenheimer’, ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.
It has since crossed $1.35 billion worldwide, passing the $1.338 billion record for an R-rated film set by ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, and is second only to ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ among this year’s biggest hits. By comparison, ‘Oppenheimer’ ultimately grossed $975 million. Audiences gave the film an A CinemaScore, and critics have been strongly positive, with a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Home at last. Watch Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey at home November 17 with exclusive special features. https://t.co/blnpBPzL2B https://t.co/FOKpWzrZAN
— The Odyssey Movie (@odysseymovie) October 13, 2026
The film adapts Homer’s epic poem and follows Odysseus, king of Ithaca, on a perilous journey home after the Trojan War. Along the way, he faces creatures and temptations such as the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens and Calypso. Nolan wrote the screenplay and produced with his wife, Emma Thomas.
Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, with Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as their son, Telemachus. Zendaya plays Athena, Robert Pattinson plays the suitor Antinous and Charlize Theron plays Calypso. The ensemble also includes Lupita Nyong’o, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie and Elliot Page.
IMAX played a major role in the film’s success, and the screens carried a large share of ticket sales. Only 41 IMAX locations could show the film in 70mm, and they still generated $6.3 million over the opening weekend. Any home version will inevitably lose some of that scale, though the 4K disc is the closest option for viewers who want maximum fidelity.
For those who missed it in theaters, the release is a chance to see what the fuss was about. For those who saw it on a giant screen, the special features could offer a look at how Nolan and his team pulled off the mythic set pieces. There is also an official screenplay and a making-of hardcover book available, which gives eager fans a way to explore the production while they wait.
The release also lands as awards season heats up. Commentators expect the film to make a splash at the Oscars, and a home version gives voters and audiences an easy way to catch up. That could extend the film’s cultural footprint well beyond its theatrical run.
As with all of Nolan’s films, the debate over how best to see ‘The Odyssey’ will likely continue. For now, the answer is simple: soon, there will be one more option.
How do you plan to watch 'The Odyssey' at home?
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