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Nolan Caps “The Odyssey” at 3 Hours, IMAX-First $1B Bet

5/1/2026

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Summary

Nolan Caps Runtime

Director Christopher Nolan says The Odyssey, opening July 17, 2026, will run under three hours because IMAX projectors cap films at three hours.
The film, starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, is the first Hollywood movie shot entirely on IMAX and saw IMAX 70mm tickets sell out a year before release.
Analysts project the movie could match Oppenheimer’s $975.8 million 2023 earnings.

Summary

Nolan Announces Odyssey

Christopher Nolan is billed as creator of one of 2026’s most anticipated films, an adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey.
Nolan says the Marvel Cinematic Universe has trained audiences to sit through three-hour movies.
Nolan assures The Odyssey will not exceed Oppenheimer’s three-hour runtime, possibly running 2 hours 59 minutes.
He calls the project a huge responsibility that makes him “go to the mat” for authenticity.

History

Historical Context

After IMAX opened its first permanent theater at Toronto’s Cinesphere in 1971, Disney released the first full-length IMAX feature, Fantasia 2000, on Jan 1 2000, proving commercial interest. Marvel’s 2018 Avengers: Infinity War became the first Hollywood movie shot entirely in IMAX, paving the way for Nolan’s 2026 fully-IMAX blockbuster epic “The Odyssey.”

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Nolan Caps Runtime

Director Christopher Nolan says The Odyssey, opening July 17, 2026, will run under three hours because IMAX projectors cap films at three hours.
The film, starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, is the first Hollywood movie shot entirely on IMAX and saw IMAX 70mm tickets sell out a year before release.
Analysts project the movie could match Oppenheimer’s $975.8 million 2023 earnings.

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