Universal just released the first teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan’s next summer epic, “The Odyssey.” But in true Nolan fashion, you’re not going to be able to see it online right away, as it is screening exclusively in movie theaters.
The first people to see the teaser in all its oceanic glory will be those who buy a ticket to see “Jurassic World Rebirth,” which arrives in theaters this evening with preview screenings. It is unclear at this point when the teaser will be released online or if it will screen in front of other upcoming blockbusters like Warner Bros.’ “Superman.” Universal did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
But it’s not surprising that even a teaser for Nolan’s next film would get a theatrical exclusive window given that the Oscar-winning director has put his money where his mouth is when it comes to supporting movie theaters. Warner Bros. released his 2020 film “Tenet” in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic per Nolan’s wish to give financially struggling theaters some form of lifeline.
Then, when Nolan made the big leap to Universal for his Best Picture Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer,” the studio agreed to a variety of terms that included a 100-day theatrical exclusivity window. The studio also released a special trailer for the film that screened only in Imax auditoriums ahead of “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
That commitment to theatrical has paid off for Nolan at the box office, as he has developed a global following that treats all of his films as a cinematic event. Despite being an R-rated, three-hour movie about the development of nuclear weapons, “Oppenheimer” became the highest grossing biopic of all time with $975 million grossed worldwide as well as the highest grossing Best Picture winner since “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” 20 years prior.
“The Odyssey,” based on Homer’s millennia-old Greek epic, stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the famed King of Ithaca who faced a decades-long, perilous journey home after his triumph in the Trojan War. Tom Holland also stars as Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, along with a cast that includes Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, and Corey Hawkins.
The film will be released on July 17, 2026.
