The Odyssey will head back to IMAX houses in December for a final push before awards season starts to peak. Universal says Christopher Nolan’s R-rated epic returns on December 11 to more than 1,000 cinemas in the United States and Canada, with IMAX venues included and 70MM IMAX presentations among them. The move appears aimed at building more awards attention for the movie while also adding a touch more revenue for the studio.
The Odyssey has already earned $1.8 billion worldwide, making it the top-earning R-rated movie ever. Even so, this return may not be enough to carry it past $2 billion, since Dune Part 3 arrives in premium formats on December 18. Avengers: Doomsday will also demand major attention from moviegoers. It remains unclear whether The Odyssey will stay on standard screens after those releases, or if this is simply a short one-week engagement.
The movie is broadly regarded as an important contender in the awards race, with expectations that it might secure nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor for Matt Damon, and Best Director for Christopher Nolan, and more. Whether it reaches all of those predictions is still unknown. It will also be worth watching how many awards it can actually take home, especially after Nolan’s previous film, Oppenheimer, dominated the Oscars in 2023. Winning heavily two years in a row is uncommon, though it has happened before. Alejandro González Iñárritu did it with Birdman and The Revenant in 2014 and 2015.
December is looking to be a packed month for theaters, with The Odyssey returning alongside big releases like Dune and Avengers. For viewers who would rather stay warm and skip another trip out, the film is also set to arrive on home video later this month.
This piece was written by a freelance member of IGN’s news staff, covering entertainment across gaming, film, and related topics.
- The Odyssey returns to IMAX on December 11
- Over 1,000 theaters in the U.S. and Canada will screen it
- 70MM IMAX venues are included in the re-release
- The film has already reached $1.8 billion globally
- Home video release is also coming later in the month