The China Mail - 'The Odyssey': Christopher Nolan's latest cultural phenomenon

As movie buffs clamor to special-format theaters, and social media feeds are flooded with memes and reactions -- including by the world's richest man -- the latest take on the millennia-old mythological tale has become its own kind of epic.

Here are some key points on the cultural phenomenon that is "The Odyssey":

- 'Film' fanatics -

Nolan's choice to shoot "The Odyssey" entirely on bulky IMAX film cameras -- a first for a feature-length fictional film -- has been a key feature of the movie's marketing campaign, to much apparent success.

The special 70mm celluloid is touted as having ultra-high resolution and capturing an unusually wide frame, qualities Nolan says are best experienced by seeing a projection of physical film, not the contemporary standard digital format.

However, only a few dozen theaters in the world have systems to project IMAX 70mm film, while regular 70mm film projectors are also rare.

Predicting high demand among Nolan's fans to see the Oscar winner's latest work on film, US chain Phoenix Theatres went to work adding a 70mm projector to one of its cinemas in Ohio, senior vice president Jordan Hohman told AFP.

"That equipment was not easy to come by. We purchased it from the Canadian government months ago" and worked to refurbish it "back to its former glory," he said.

"That has paid off really well for us because there are a lot of people out there that are seeking that 70 millimeter presentation."

Fans are flocking to normal digital presentations too, Phoenix Theatres president Cory Jacobson noted.

"It's just huge. It's an enormous movie," he said.

- Audiobook boom -

With the film's release, some audio streaming platforms have also flagged a corresponding spike in interest in the audiobook form of Homer's epic.

Spotify reported a surge interest in audiobook translations of "The Odyssey": searches skyrocketed by 310 percent, with Gen Z and millennials leading the demand.

"With its themes of masculinity, legacy, and brotherhood, combined with the cinematic scale of Christopher Nolan's adaptation, it's a natural gateway into grand, high-stakes storytelling. Move over the Roman Empire -- the Greeks are back," Spotify book editor Roshni Radia told The Irish Times.

Audiobook platform ElevenReader, whose investors include actor Matthew McConaughey, even launched a version last month narrated by an AI-generated voice modeled after Michael Caine.

- Meme-ery -

Nolan, who famously does not carry a smartphone, is likely missing out on much of the online reaction to his movie.

Clips from the film, such as Matt Damon's Odysseus tied to the mast of his ship while listening to the sirens' song, have quickly become fodder for social media memes.

After "Saving Private Ryan," "The Martian" and "Interstellar," many jokes have also been made about Damon once again starring in a film in which his character struggles to get home.

- Musk ire -

But the online chatter has not been all light-hearted.

Tech titan Elon Musk, divisive as ever, has taken to X on multiple occasions to criticize the film, which in his opinion has "desecrated" the story.

Months before its release, the world's wealthiest man led a wave of criticism against Nolan for casting Black actress Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and transgender actor Elliot Page, who plays the Greek warrior Sinon.

After the film's box-office-smashing debut, Musk even claimed he could release a better adaptation of the tale by the end of the year, developed by his AI-powered image generator, Grok Imagine.

And one X user suggested Musk give $100 million to Mel Gibson -- who has been a supporter of President Donald Trump -- to produce an adaptation "with painstakingly historically accurate ships, armor, weapons, and casting."

Musk quickly replied: "I'm down."

M.Chau--ThChM