Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Is Already Winning Over Oscar Voters Before Awards Season Even Starts

Christopher Nolan has spent the summer proving that big screen spectacle still has a pulse, and ‘The Odyssey‘ has become the movie people are structuring their entire year around. Simon James, an attorney in New York City, bought 18 tickets to Imax 70mm screenings of the film at AMC Lincoln Square over its first three weeks of release, and he was far from alone in that kind of devotion.

That kind of fervor has followed the film since long before it hit theaters. Imax tickets for ‘The Odyssey’ went on sale a full year before its release date, and by the morning they went live many showings on Fandango were already sold out. The hype has been tied largely to the film being the first commercial feature shot entirely on Imax cameras, a technical first that has made theater owners and format purists giddy.

Now that same energy has moved from ticket buyers to the people who actually decide who wins Oscars. According to Variety, ‘The Odyssey’ has already begun screening for Academy members, with the 70mm presentation drawing nearly 1,000 people to a single show. One anonymous Oscar voter who works as an actor reportedly reacted to the film by saying, ‘Good luck to those of us that have movies coming out the rest of the year.’

The Academy hosted its first members screening at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles, presented in 70mm, with the roughly 1,000 seat house near capacity, a strong early signal in a season where turnout functions as its own kind of polling. A U.K. membership screening followed at the Soho Hotel, reflecting how instrumental that voting bloc has become as the Academy has grown more international.

Still, plenty of contenders have yet to show their hand. Telluride, Venice and Toronto are all still ahead, and multiple dramas, comedies and under the radar films could offer ‘The Odyssey’ real competition once the fall festival circuit gets going. Nolan himself has been here before and lost, since ‘Dunkirk’ earned eight nominations as a summer release only to see best picture go to a December fable from Guillermo del Toro.

Academic reaction has been just as striking as the industry buzz. Classics scholars who attended early screenings described being surprised by how much they connected with the adaptation, with one professor noting he had to remind himself the film should be judged as Nolan’s own version rather than a strict retelling of Homer. That kind of crossover appeal, landing with both casual moviegoers and lifelong academics, is exactly the sort of narrative Oscar campaigns are built on.

The film’s box office has only added fuel to the awards conversation. ‘The Odyssey’ shattered Nolan’s own global opening record with 264 million dollars worldwide, giving it the kind of commercial muscle that voters rarely get to pair with genuine critical goodwill. Whether that combination is enough to carry it through a crowded fall season remains to be seen, but for now it looks like the film everyone else has to catch.

With Matt Damon’s Odysseus already being talked about in the same breath as past Best Picture winners, does ‘The Odyssey’ have what it takes to go all the way, or is this just early season hype before the real contenders show up?