Matt Damon in “The Odyssey.”
Universal Pictures/Melissa Sue Gordon
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has received the highest audience score for all of the director’s films on Rotten Tomatoes to date.
Directed by Nolan from his screen adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey played in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday. The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca who embarks on an arduous, years-long journey home to his wife, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and their son, Prince Telemachus (Tom Holland), following the Trojan War.
Meanwhile, Penelope is being pressured by dozens of suitors to marry them as they presume Odysseus is dead. Among the most malevolent of the suitors is Antinous (Robert Pattinson), who has other plans for Ithaca should Penelope stop resisting his offer to marry.
Rated R, The Odyssey also stars Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Himesh Patel, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, John Leguizamo, Mia Goth, Benny Safdie, Corey Hawkins, James Remar and the voice of Bill Irwin.
On Wednesday, Rotten Tomatoes approved critics awarded The Odyssey a stellar 96% “fresh” critics’ score on the site’s Tomatometer, based on 145 reviews. Since that time, The Odyssey has maintained its 96% “fresh” score on the Tomatometer, with the review count rising to 337.
Since The Odyssey began playing in preview screenings on Thursday, however, audiences have been given a chance to submit their votes on the Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, which is based on verified user ratings.
As of Friday afternoon, The Odyssey has earned a 97% Popcornmeter audience score based on 1,000-plus reviews, making it the highest RT audience-scored movie of Nolan’s career.
How Do Christopher Nolan’s Other Films Rank On Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter?
As a director, Christopher Nolan has consistently earned “fresh” audience scores from audiences on RT’s Popcornmeter and none of his films have been deemed “rotten.” The site has ranked every one of Nolan’s films since his feature film debut with Following in 1998.
The following list ranks Nolan’s films top to bottom, based on RT’s Popcornmeter score by audiences, including ties.
1: The Odyssey (2026) – 97% based on 1,000-plus verified user ratings.
2: Memento (2000) – 94% based on 250,000-plus verified user ratings.
The Dark Knight (2008) – 94% based on 250,000-plus verified user ratings.
Batman Begins (2005) – 94% based on 250,000-plus verified user ratings.
3: Inception (2010) – 91% based on 250,000-plus verified user ratings.
Oppenheimer (2023) – 91% based on 10,000-plus verified user ratings.
4: The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – 90% based on 250,000-plus verified user ratings.
5: Following (1998) – 85% based on 10,000-plus verified user ratings.
6: Dunkirk (2017) – 81% based on 50,000-plus verified user ratings.
7: Insomnia (2002) – 77% based on 100,000-plus verified user ratings.
8: Tenet (2020) – 76% based on 5,000-plus verified user ratings.
Of course, The Odyssey’s audience score on RT’s Popcornmeter could change as more verified user ratings are posted, but given its high score out of the gate, the film is poised to end up as one of Nolan’s highestranked film on the site.
The Odyssey is playing in theaters everywhere.