Tom Cruise has added his voice to the praise for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, expressing strong enthusiasm after viewing an early screening of the director’s new epic.
On social media, Cruise expressed thanks to Nolan, producer Emma Thomas, and the cast and crew for what he called an outstanding evening at the cinema.
“Wow! To Chris, Emma, and ALL of your brilliant cast and crew. Thank you for an amazing night in a movie theater. I can’t wait to see it again!”
He shared the message with an image of himself holding a ticket outside an IMAX 70mm showing, underscoring his support for watching films in theaters.
Based on Homer’s ancient poem, The Odyssey features Matt Damon as Odysseus, king of Ithaca, on a ten-year voyage home after the Trojan War, encountering mythical beings, deities, and dangerous challenges. The cast also includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal and Elliot Page.
Cruise and Nolan have not worked together, yet both strongly advocate for cinema exhibition. The Odyssey marks the first narrative film shot entirely on IMAX cameras, expanding the format on an unprecedented scale.
This endorsement fits Cruise’s pattern of publicly supporting other directors’ work. He has previously encouraged theater viewings of Nolan’s Tenet and Oppenheimer, as well as Sinners, Twisters, F1: The Movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Running Man and Disclosure Day.
Cruise’s commitment to theatrical releases is well known. He declined streaming deals for Top Gun: Maverick amid the pandemic to ensure a big-screen debut. The film grossed nearly $1.5 billion globally and aided the recovery of cinema exhibition.
The Odyssey has seen a wide international release, with Nolan, Thomas and stars Matt Damon and Tom Holland visiting Mumbai for its India premiere ahead of the global launch.
Cruise is set to appear in his next project, Digger, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The initial trailer appeared this week, showing the actor in a striking physical change.
