Teens and twenty-somethings who want to know if Odysseus will return to Ithaca must bring a parent or adult guardian to the complex.
The Odyssey, director Christopher Nolan’s major adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, has received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of Japan. It’s unclear why this photo was given this designation (we’re guessing it was a violent battle involving Cyclops carnage and body count). It’s rare these days for a summer blockbuster to be rated R. Studios typically try to get their action-heavy adventures to earn a PG-13 or PG rating so that they can be played by as wide an audience as possible.
But Nolan’s last film, Oppenheimer, was also rated R and released in the middle of summer. World box office revenue reached nearly $1 billion. Nolan’s other summer films, including “Inception,” “Dunkirk,” “Tenet” and the “Dark Knight” trilogy, all have PG-13 ratings.
Universal, which partnered with director Nolan on “Oppenheimer,” is distributing “The Odyssey.” It will be released on July 17th, during the summer period when many of the director’s other films were successful. “The Odyssey” reportedly has a budget of $250 million, so it needs to attract an audience. It probably ranks as the most expensive R-rated movie of all time, surpassing the likes of Joker: Folie à Deux and Deadpool & Wolverine. In addition to Nolan, one of the biggest names in film, the cast also includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Anne Hathaway.
Exhibitors believe “The Odyssey” will be one of the biggest films of the summer. Tickets for the IMAX 70mm screening went on sale last year and sold out quickly, but demand on the Thursday morning when tickets went on sale meant long wait times for purchasing tickets online. It’s a sign of Nolan’s commercial power and that we’re excited to see how he tops his Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer.”
