One fan flew from New York to watch The Odyssey and ‘it’s so worth it’
until opening day Odyssey University student Shreeya Singh had never seen a Christopher Nolan movie in theatres.
Oppenheimer, Dunkirk, Inception, The Dark Knight and the rest of the acclaimed British director’s works had ignored him. But he wanted to see his ancient Greek epic on the opening day of Sydney’s IMAX cinema.
His reaction? “Honestly, I’m amazed,” he said. “It’s such an epic story from Homer, it’s probably one of the best tellings of Greek tragedies I’ve ever seen. I cried my eyes out so much it’s probably not what you think it is. It’s just such a beautiful telling.”
Maree Muscara watched a screening of the following film at the IMAX in Melbourne at 11am: Odyssey Right after getting off the plane from New York.
“So jetlagged. [but] “I’m getting straight to the point,” he said. “This isn’t the first Nolan movie I’ve flown halfway around the world to, and every time I do, it’s so worth it.”
The tradition started for the 28-year-old actor when he flew to London for the film’s premiere. Dunkirk He planned to do the same in 2017. Principle Until COVID-19 intervened in 2020. But he flew back to England Oppenheimer In 2023.
I enjoyed Muscara Odyssey so much so that he was planning to see her again soon. “If I can get a ticket, I’ll probably watch it again today,” he said.
Damian Keogh, managing director of the Hoyts chain, said this afternoon Odyssey It was on track for the biggest opening day in Australian cinemas this year with $2 million. The Devil Wears Prada 2$1.7 million.
This shows that Singh and Muscara were among the nearly 100,000 people who watched the film on the first day.
Although it’s nowhere near the all-time record (Avengers: Endgame (which reportedly opened with $11.6 million in 2019), was another sign that theaters are rebounding this year from Covid-19 and the Hollywood strikes.
Keogh thought it was too early to tell. Odyssey will match $42.6 million Oppenheimer In this case, he thought it was on track to surpass $30 million and possibly reach $40 million.
It’s the biggest movie of the year so far Michael with $46.3 million, but was released more recently Toy Story 5 It is expected to exceed $50 million.
“He’s just a master filmmaker,” Keogh said of Nolan. “He’s really making these for the big screen. This isn’t a movie you want to watch on a plane or on an iPad.”
Odyssey, The story of Greek hero Odysseus (Matt Damon) facing mythical creatures and challenges as he returns home after the Trojan War, opens after a strong first half of the year for cinemas. There was a 20 percent increase in the box office compared to the same period last year.
Keogh said this year’s box office could reach $1.1 billion, which is still below 2016’s pre-COVID peak of $1.259 billion but well above last year’s $970 million.
Palace Cinemas CEO Benjamin Zeccola said: OdysseyThe 172-minute film was watched in small cinemas as well as mega screens.
“Some people want the biggest screen possible,” he said. “Other people want the most comfortable cinema possible because of the running time.”
Zeccola said it attracts many more men than women. “This is the opposite of The Devil Wears Prada“Swords and sandals, and I guess the forerunner of the Roman Empire, seem to be very much on people’s minds.”
Actor Ed Oxenbould Odyssey He said watching it with brother Archie felt like watching Lawrence of Arabia when it first came out.
“This is a technical miracle in every respect,” he said. “I don’t think anything will come close to this kind of cinematic event in a long time.”
But not everyone was so convinced. Niyaz Muhammed, 42, said he expected more “time mechanisms” in the film, possibly closer to Homer’s timeline. Odysseybut still enjoyed Nolan’s storytelling.
“I watch all of his movies at least three times to get it right,” he said. “I booked tickets for Saturday night.”
Was it worth the hefty ticket price that came with the IMAX release: $47 for the 70mm version as part of the Melbourne theatre’s $1.8 million advance ticket sales? Blair McMillan, 35, thought so.
“Most people don’t go to the movies as much as they used to,” he said. “When you finally get out and it’s such a huge demonstration and you realize how much blood, sweat and tears went into it, I think it’s 100 percent justified.”
with Karl Quinn
Kayla Olaya is a culture reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
Nell Geraets is Culture correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
