Nolan’s “The Odyssey” Revives Classic Translation and Sparks New Interest

Christopher Nolan’s three-hour adaptation of Homer’s *The Odyssey* opened to a $263.7 million global box-office haul in its first weekend and a $124 million domestic opening, making it one of the year’s biggest cinematic events. The film’s release has directly driven a surge in sales of Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation, the first English version of the epic produced by a woman.

Rolling Stone

Emily Wilson, a classics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, spent five years translating the nearly 2,700-year-old poem, expecting modest sales typical of scholarly retranslations. She later became a MacArthur “genius” fellow and the first woman to publish an English translation of *The Odyssey*. (Wilson, Inquirer).

Philadelphia Inquirer

• Box-office: $263.7 million worldwide and $124 million domestic opening weekend (film’s reported earnings).

Vulture

• Book sales: As of July 2 2026, domestic sales across all formats exceeded 1,000,000 copies (Louise Brockett, head of communications, W.W. Norton & Co.).

Philadelphia Inquirer

• Amazon rankings: Wilson’s translation entered the top ten of Amazon’s bestseller list for *The Odyssey* shortly after the film’s debut.

Rolling Stone

Emily Wilson welcomed the renewed public interest, noting that “it’s great that there’s going to be a whole new wave of people who may not have thought much about *The Odyssey*, may not even be familiar with the narrative, who may then get excited about it, because Christopher Nolan is a big name.” (Wilson, Inquirer) Brockett highlighted the unprecedented sales boost, stating, “In 2026, notably, domestic sales across all formats surpassed 1,000,000 copies.” (Brockett, Inquirer)

Philadelphia Inquirer

• “It’s great that there’s going to be a whole new wave of people who may not have thought much about The Odyssey, may not even be familiar with the narrative, who may then get excited about it, because Christopher Nolan is a big name,” — Emily Wilson, min classics scholar

Philadelphia Inquirer

• “In 2026, notably, domestic sales across all formats surpassed 1,000,000 copies,” — Louise Brockett, head of communications at W

Philadelphia Inquirer

• “I remember being very much aware that most retranslations maybe sell 1,000 copies if you’re lucky … you’re going to work very, very hard on it for five years, and then maybe a tiny number of people will read it — and of course I thought it was still worthwhile,” — Emily Wilson, min classics scholar

Philadelphia Inquirer

A paperback edition of Nolan’s screenplay is slated for release in August 2026, and an illustrated visual guide to the film is scheduled for September 2026. Both are expected to further extend the public’s engagement with the ancient epic.

Rolling Stone