‘The Odyssey’ Is Heading Back to Theaters for Another Round Before the Oscars Race Heats Up

Few movies get to leave theaters, come back, and then plan a third act in the same year. Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem has spent months making a habit of that. It hit theaters on July 17 and has barely stopped moving since.

The film follows Matt Damon’s warrior Odysseus as he embarks on a decade-long journey home after the Trojan War. Nolan shot it entirely with IMAX film cameras, which made it the first major Hollywood feature to do so. That detail has driven nearly every conversation about how to see it.

Its IMAX numbers have been staggering. By one report, the film generated $457 million globally through IMAX, overtaking Avatar and its $271 million benchmark. It also opened to a record $52 million IMAX weekend and dropped just 8% in its second frame.

Now, as DiscussingFilm reported on X, ‘The Odyssey’ will return to theaters nationwide on December 11 for awards season. The post adds that the run will include IMAX and IMAX 70MM screens. Per Deadline, as relayed by GamesRadar, the film will play on 1,000 screens in North America.

TheWrap adds that the engagement is a limited-time run in 1,000 theaters in the U.S. and Canada. It arrives the weekend before the opening of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Dune: Part Three’. That timing gives Nolan’s film one more clear stretch on premium screens before two blockbusters arrive.

The date also lines up with the home release. GamesRadar notes the re-release comes three weeks after the nearly three-hour movie is set for a home release on premium VOD, 4K and DVD on November 17. In other words, viewers can own it at home and still be invited back to the biggest screens. GamesRadar also says it’s not yet known how long the December run will last.

The box office context explains why Universal is going back. According to TheWrap, IMAX and IMAX 70mm have accounted for a record $550 million of the film’s $1.8 billion global gross. The film is also Nolan’s highest-grossing ever, even after inflation adjustment, topping the unadjusted $1.08 billion total of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.

The records keep stacking up. TheWrap reports the film now holds the title of highest-grossing R-rated film in history, passing ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’. It is also the highest grossing film in Universal Pictures history.

The awards angle is the other reason for the timing. TheWrap says the film is expected to be one of the top contenders at next year’s Academy Awards, competing in Best Director and Best Picture among likely a dozen other categories. It adds that Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, John Leguizamo and Robert Pattinson are expected to compete in the acting categories, and that cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema will almost certainly earn his third Best Cinematography nomination.

Nolan has been here before. His last film, ‘Oppenheimer,’ won several Oscars at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. A return to the biggest screens just as voters start filling out ballots looks like a deliberate reminder of what makes this film an event.

That strategy has worked before for this movie. The film already returned to IMAX and 70mm screens starting October 9, and demand clearly hasn’t cooled. If you missed it on the biggest screen, or just want another look, December 11 is shaping up to be your chance.