The first trailer for The Odyssey has been released – but there’s a catch for those hoping to see it. Christopher Nolan’s upcoming 2026 fantasy epic, an adaptation of the roughly 2800-year-old Greek classic, will be his first movie since winning Best Director for Oppenheimer, and is set to be one of his biggest films to date.
With excitement already high well ahead of its release on July 17, 2026, The Odyssey‘s teaser trailer has released exclusively in theaters. The movie is attached to showings of releases such as Jurᴀssic World Rebirth – which comes from the same studio, Universal – but buying a movie ticket is currently the only way to watch the new footage.
The teaser includes Tom Holland’s Telemachus searching for answers about his father, Odysseus (Matt Damon), interspersed with footage from the latter’s adventures. It’s a great hype-builder, but just how long will fans have to wait to see it from the comfort of their phone screen (the way Nolan surely intended, of course)?
When Will The Odyssey Trailer Release Online?
There Could Be More Of A Wait To Go
The Odyssey trailer releasing as a theatrical exclusive may be unusual for most movies, but it’s not uncommon for Nolan. A huge supporter of the theatrical experience, and someone whose movies don’t typically follow conventional marketing rules, it will likely remain in theaters only for a while, helping to keep the viewings special and perhaps even drive ticket sales.
In terms of when it will release online, Oppenheimer might give a clue. The first teaser for that movie was attached to screenings of Nope on July 21, 2022, before being made available a week later on July 28. That would position The Odyssey teaser to drop online around July 8-9.
Of course, it’s possible Universal will decide to wait longer, and could keep it as a theatrical exclusive for several weeks. However, it’s unlikely to repeat what happened with the first Tenet teaser: that debuted in theaters in August 2019, and wasn’t officially dropped online until December of that year.
With a holiday weekend and a major tentpole expected to drive huge numbers to see the latest Jurᴀssic movie, the teaser playing in theaters until at least next week would make sense.
It is also plausible the studio moves in the opposite direction and has a more sudden online release. But, with a holiday weekend and a major tentpole expected to drive huge numbers to see the latest Jurᴀssic movie, the teaser playing in theaters until at least next week would make sense.
Our Take On The Odyssey’s Theatrical-Only Trailer
It’s A Very Christopher Nolan Move
The release of The Odyssey‘s trailer being contained to theaters may be frustrating to those excited to see it who are unable (or unwilling) to get to a Jurᴀssic World Rebirth showing anytime soon. However, I also think it’s pretty great.
Nolan is the rare director whose movies are true events simply based on his name being attached. The approach to marketing them, beginning over a year from release, and having the teaser be theatrical only, simply adds to that feeling. Admittedly, it went a bit far with Tenet, but it was a great way to build excitement for Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer made $975.8 million at the box office, while all of Nolan’s movies combined have grossed around $6.6 billion.
A Nolan movie should be special, and The Odyssey‘s trailer release fits with that. There’s going to be no shortage of hype around this movie with a gradual marketing build, and starting off in this way – with a teaser that does exactly that – is perfectly on-brand and exciting.
