The Odyssey (2026)

Christopher Nolan made a movie out of the poem every English class assigns, then got it rated R, so plenty of the kids who had to read it can’t get in without a parent. That’s the central joke. The real ask is time: 172 minutes for a story about a man desperate to get home, so clear your whole evening and maybe the next morning. The casting is a flex. Matt Damon is Odysseus, Anne Hathaway is Penelope holding the house together, Tom Holland is the son stuck with a living room full of freeloaders, and Robert Pattinson leads the freeloaders, which feels like destiny. Nolan shot it on IMAX film, so the screen size is half the point. The world showed up: $1.78 billion worldwide on a reported $250 million, 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and an A CinemaScore. An 8.6 because Nolan treats a school reading assignment like a world event, and the bigness mostly earns it. $272 says you dig your old copy of the poem out of a box and actually finish it this time.

What works: A stacked cast lined up behind Matt Damon, and a director who treats a classroom classic like a blockbuster event shot on IMAX film.

What doesn’t: At 172 minutes and rated R, it’s a big ask for a story most people already know, and younger fans of the poem need a parent along.

Who it’s for: Anyone who survived the poem in school and wants to see it the size of a building.