Image via Universal Pictures
After the colossal success of Oppenheimer back in 2023, it’s fair to say that coming into the year, The Odyssey was one of the most anticipated movies of 2026. The film is already shattering records, both at the box office and over on Rotten Tomatoes, where it holds scores of 94% from critics and 97% from audiences, making it the highest-rated movie of Nolan’s career. Critics and fans are already praising the many great performances of The Odyssey as well, with both Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway expected to earn Best Lead Actor and Actress nominations, and there will also likely be plenty of Supporting nods to go around. With a reported $250 million budget, The Odyssey needed well over $500 million — closer to $750 million — to break even, but this is proving to be no issue at all for Nolan’s new historical epic.
After historic first and second weekends at the box office, The Odyssey currently sits at a box office total of around $652 million, with more earnings pouring in by the day. The film has now reached a stretch where it’s passing some of the most iconic movies ever made at the box office, and the latest to fall victim to The Odyssey’s box office onslaught is The Martian. Ridley Scott’s highest-grossing sci-fi movie wrapped up its global box office run with around $630 million, which is now well in The Odyssey’s rear-view mirror. Some of Scott’s movies would certainly be highest in the box office standings when accounting for inflation — he’s been directing unforgettable sci-fi features for nearly 50 years now — but this is yet another win for Nolan in the box office column, who continues to make a strong case for one of the greatest directors of all time.
Which Oscar Best Picture
Is Your Perfect Movie?
Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country
Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one.
Parasite
Everything Everywhere
Oppenheimer
Birdman
No Country for Old Men
01
What kind of film experience do you actually want?
The best movies don’t just entertain — they leave something behind.
02
Which idea grabs you most in a film?
Great films are driven by a central obsession. What’s yours?
<labelAIdentity,family,andthechaosoftryingtoholdyourlifetogetherwheneverythingisfallingapart.
<labelCGenius,moralresponsibility,andthecatastrophicweightofadecisionyoucannevertakeback.
<labelDEgo,legacy,andtheterrorofbecomingirrelevantwhileyourestillalivetowatchithappen.
<labelEEvil,chance,andwhethermoralorderactuallyexistsorifwejusttellourselvesitdoes.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
How do you like your story told?
Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means.
A Genre-twisting—Iwantitto startinone laneandmigrateintosomethingcompletelydifferent.
B Maximalistandgenre-blending—comedy,action,drama,sci-fi,allinoneride.
C Epicandnon-linear—cuttingbetweentimes,builidingamosaicofcauseandconsequence.
D Asingleunbrokenflow—Iwanttofeellikem’alivingitinrealtime,no cutstosafety.
E Spareandprecise—everyscenedoingexactlywhatitneedstodoandnothingmore.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
What makes a truly great antagonist?
The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you?
A Asystem—invisible,structural,andalmostimpossible tofightbecauseit hasnosingleface.
B Theself—thewayswesabotage,abandon,andfailthepeoplewelovemos t.
C History—theunstoppablemomentumofeventsthatnosinglepersoncanstop orredirect.
D Theindustry—themachineryofculturethatchewsuptalentandspitsoutirrelevance.
E Pure,implacableevil—a forcesocertainofitselfitbecomesalmostphilosophical.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
What do you want from a film’s ending?
The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like?
A Shockandinevitability—a conclusionthatrecontextualiseseverythingthatcamebeforeit.
B Earnedemotion—Iwanttocry,laugh,andfeelgenuinelyhopeful,eveniftheworldisamess.
C Devastationandgrandeur—anendingthatmakesmesitin silenceforafewminutesafter.
D Ambiguity—somethingleavesenoughopenthatI’mstillthinkingaboutitdayslater.
E Bleakness—anhonestrefusal topretendtheworldistidierthanitactuallyis.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
Which setting pulls you in most?
Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what’s even possible.
A Agleamingmoderncitywithahiddenunderside—beautymaskingrot,we althmaskingdesperation.
B Acollapsingsuburbanlifethatopensontosomethinginfinite—themultiverseofasingleordinaryperson.
C Thecorridors ofpowerandscienceataworld-historicalturningpoint—wheredecisions echofordecades.
D Thegrimy,alivechaosofNewYorkandHollywood—fameasbothdestinationandtrap.
E Vast,indifferentlandscape—desertandhighwaywhereviolencearriveswithoutwarningorreason.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
What cinematic craft impresses you most?
Every great film has a signature—a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable.
A Productiondesignandmise-en-scène—everyframecomposedtocarrymeaningbeneaththe surface.
B Edit ingandtonalcontrol—theabilitytomovebetweenregisterswithoutlosingtheaudience.
C Sco reandsounddesign—musicthatbecomesinseparablefromthedreadandaweofwhatyou’rewatching.
D Cinematographyasperformance—thecamera notrecordingeventsbutparticipatinginthem.
E Silenceandrestraint—what’sleftunsaidandunshowndoingmoreworkthananydialoguecould.
NEXT QUESTION →
’08’
‘What kind of main character do you root for?’
‘<What does it say about you?'
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’09’
‘How do you feel about a film that takes its time?’
‘<Pace is a choice.'
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’10’
‘What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema?’
‘<The best films leave a mark.'
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'<Your Perfect Film Is…'
'<Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others.'
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'<We are not their authors; they have been used solely for informational purposes with proper attribution to their original source.[/nospin]‘
