The Odyssey film fans inspired to go back to the source

Sir Christopher Nolan’s big-screen version of The Odyssey has become one of the box office hits of the year – and has also sparked interest in the original Greek myth, with book sales and audiobook listening figures rising sharply.

The director’s take on Homer’s epic poem took $264m (£198m) at cinema box offices globally in its opening weekend, including $52m (£39m) on giant Imax screens.

Some of those fans have been inspired to go back to the source, with sales of print editions rising by 700% in the UK last week compared with the same period in 2025.

An audio version read by Sir Stephen Fry is now in the Spotify UK audiobook top 10, while Sir Ian McKellen’s narration has entered the equivalent chart in the US.

Almost 8,000 print copies of The Odyssey were sold in the UK last week, taking the total so far this year to 47,000. That’s a 95% year-on-year increase, according to NielsenIQ BookData.

British chain Waterstones said there had been “phenomenal” demand, particularly for the 2017 translation by Emily Wilson, which Sir Christopher has cited as one of his sources.

“We got more stock in but we weren’t anticipating quite the uplift, particularly on Emily Wilson,” Waterstones chief operating officer Kate Skipper told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“So we’re getting deliveries every day and they’re flying out as soon as they land in the shops.”

Wilson herself welcomed the impact of the film, but pointed out that Sir Christopher has left out some crucial elements.

“I want to celebrate the fact that so many more people are aware of The Odyssey and were brought back to the poem,” she told the Associated Press.

“But at the same time, I had the sense that Christopher Nolan was trying to pack everything in while missing themes that were essential to the poem.”

Many of those who have gone back to the ancient story are younger people who are listening to the audiobook version.

Listening figures on Spotify have risen by about 680% since the film’s release on Friday, Variety reported – with more than 80% of the listeners being Gen Z or millennials.

In cinemas, the film’s global takings include £12.6m from the UK – making it the second-biggest opening weekend in the country so far this year, behind Toy Story 5.

In the process, The Odyssey broke the record for the highest takings in an opening weekend for a film on Imax screens in the UK, according to industry publication Screen Daily.

The three-hour epic, which stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway, was the first theatrical release to be shot entirely with Imax 70mm film cameras.

While there are more than 50 Imax screens in the UK, only three are showing it using 70mm film projectors – the BFI and Science Museum in London, and Printworks in Manchester.

“You do feel like you’re very close to the characters, you’re immersed in the action. So it is a heightened experience, I would say,” film critic and Girls on Film podcast host Anna Smith told the Today programme.

Imax screenings are more expensive than regular cinema tickets, however.

“If you have the money and you’ve been lucky enough to book, I don’t think you would regret seeing it in Imax 70mm,” Metro film critic Tori Brazier said.

“But at the same time it’s very expensive and you know we do live in a world where lots of people watch films on laptop screens and phone screens now, so if you’re going to the cinema you’re going to have a big-screen experience regardless.”