One of the most anticipated film releases of the year, Christopher Nolan’s big-budget epic *The Odyssey* starring Matt Damon and Zendaya, has become the center of an unusual high-profile copyright incident days after hitting theaters. The auteur director, famous for his commitment to analog film and premium theatrical experiences, has repeatedly emphasized that audiences should experience the three-hour feature on the largest possible screen — a vision that was upended when a full HD copy of the movie was illegally posted to the social platform X over the weekend.
Per entertainment industry publication Variety, the embedded video of the entire film racked up 2.1 million views in just two and a half hours on Saturday before the account responsible for the leak was suspended by platform moderators. The unexpected leak sparked waves of reaction across social media, with one user posting a wry joke playing on Nolan’s theatrical ethos: “The full odyssey movie in a tweet, as nolan intended.” Another user posted their surprise at the leak, writing, “Someone leaked *The Odyssey* in HD. I thought it was fake but it’s true.”
A day after the initial high-quality leak, industry outlet *The Hollywood Reporter* confirmed that a lower-resolution copy of the film was also posted to X on Sunday. That copy amassed nearly 50,000 views over two hours before it was removed from the platform.
*The Odyssey* is a landmark release for both Nolan and Universal Studios. It is the first full theatrical release ever to be shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film, a large-format high-resolution analog stock that delivers unmatched clarity and scale designed specifically for giant theater screens. Nolan opted to shoot the entire three-hour runtime on the premium format to double down on his long-running advocacy for the theatrical moviegoing experience.
In an official statement responding to the leak, Universal Pictures, the studio behind the production, confirmed that it moved quickly to address the unauthorized content. “We became aware of the unauthorised posting of the film and immediately initiated takedown protocols,” the studio said. “We take copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all appropriate remedies to protect our content and intellectual property rights.”
Industry analysts do not expect the leak to meaningfully damage the film’s commercial performance, which has remained robust in its second week in theaters. *The Odyssey* added $215 million (£160 million) to its global gross over its second weekend in release, pushing its total worldwide box office haul to $640 million (£480 million) — a strong figure that suggests the film is on track to become one of the year’s highest-grossing original releases.