Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey will have a runtime shorter than “Oppenheimer,” the filmmaker told the Associated Press, with the upcoming epic staying under three hours. Nolan said the film’s scale matched its source material but confirmed: “It is shorter.”
“Oppenheimer” ran for 180 minutes, while Universal Pictures has not yet announced the exact runtime for “The Odyssey.”
Nolan previously told Empire that production covered more than two million feet of film across 91 shooting days.
“The Odyssey” also marks the first Hollywood feature shot entirely on IMAX cameras. The production used a newly developed camera casing, called a “blimp,” to reduce IMAX camera noise for dialogue scenes.
Odysseus took 10 years to get home. Nolan gonna show it in 2 hours 58 mins. Efficient king." 🌟🌟🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/0AFRz5EmgN
— BUSHIDO (@__Hari_07) April 29, 2026Actor Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, reuniting with Nolan after “Interstellar” and “Oppenheimer.”
Tom Holland plays Telemachus, while the cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron and Jon Bernthal.
Read: Christopher Nolan Drop ‘The Odyssey’ Trailer
Nolan said adapting “The Odyssey” came with significant pressure because audiences expect a sincere interpretation of a beloved story.
He said earlier mythological films had not carried the weight and credibility of a major Hollywood IMAX production. “The Odyssey” opens in cinemas on July 17 from Universal Pictures.
