Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' leaked online, hit over 2 mn views on X, and it's still on torrent sites
On 25 July, a now-suspended X account shared a link to the full film, running 2 hours and 53 minutes. A post amplifying the leak went up at 2:25 pm PT and the copy racked up more than 2.1 million views within about two and a half hours, according to Variety.
X then swapped the video for a takedown notice and suspended the account. A second, lower-quality copy appeared on X on Sunday morning and was removed roughly two hours later, after gathering close to 50,000 views, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
By Sunday morning, most copies had been pulled from social media, though a few clones remained on X as of 26 July. However, pirated copies of the film also continue to circulate on torrent sites, a persistent problem for major theatrical releases.
Universal Responds
Universal Pictures confirmed it had begun takedown procedures. In a statement to Deadline, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, the studio said, “We became aware of the unauthorised posting of the film and immediately initiated takedown protocols. We take copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all appropriate remedies to protect our content and intellectual property rights.”
“The Odyssey” is the latest in a series of films leaked on X in recent years, following similar incidents involving “Barbie,” “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and “Avatar 3.” In each case, the pirated clips and the accounts behind them were eventually removed or suspended.
Rickroll Prank Follows
As genuine copies of the film were taken down, some users repurposed the moment for a prank.
Several clips were mislabelled as “The Odyssey,” opening with scenes resembling the film’s official production company logos before cutting to Rick Astley’s 1987 song “Never Gonna Give You Up” — a long-running internet prank known as Rickrolling.
The Odyssey (2026) full movie. ???? ????
Just watched it for free on X, it’s not that bad! pic.twitter.com/UD2wWOXIV5
— The Magna Carta Post (@MagnaCartaPost) July 26, 2026
Box Office Holds Firm
The leak does not appear to have dented the film’s theatrical run. In its second weekend, “The Odyssey” crossed $600 million globally and added a further $87 million.
Figures reported by Sacnilk put its 10-day global total at around $640 million against a production budget of $270 million, with the film closing in on $700 million overall.
Some estimates suggest it could eventually reach $1 billion. In India, its net box office collections stand at ₹142.86 crore, with total net collections at ₹119.65 crore.
Based on Homer’s ancient Greek poem, the film follows King Odysseus (Matt Damon) on his voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, battling mythical creatures as he tries to reunite with his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and son, Telemachus (Tom Holland).
The cast also includes Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, Corey Hawkins, Jon Bernthal, Samantha Morton, Travis Scott and Benny Safdie.
Separately, X owner Elon Musk criticised the film’s casting choices and questioned the use of diversity criteria in Academy Awards eligibility. Musk said his AI tool, Grok Imagine, would produce a “historically accurate” version of the film for release later this year.