Universal Pictures

The five-minute ‘prologue’ of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is coming a little earlier than expected.

The extended look at the film was previously reported as being attached to copies of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” when it opens on December 19th. Now, eagle-eyed viewers booking tickets for the one-week IMAX 70mm re-release of both “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” on December 12th have noticed something interesting.

Both films appear to have been listed with runtimes exactly five minutes longer than their original IMAX releases earlier this year, with NolanAnalyst speculating that IMAX is going early with “The Odyssey” sneak for those IMAX 70mm showings.

Subsequently its been confirmed by several outlets that a nearly six minute clip will be attached to those re-releases on December 12th. Then a cut down version will appear with copies of “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” something much more akin to a trailer.

Set in the 8th century BC, the story follows Odysseus – the legendary Greek king of Ithaca – on his long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War. It chronicles his encounters with mythical beings such as the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, and the witch-goddess Circe, while attempting to reunite with his wife, Penelope and son Telemachus.

Shot on a budget of around $250 million, the film will reportedly utilise brand-new, state-of-the-art IMAX cameras throughout. Filming on the project wrapped in August, following a seven-month shoot across Italy, Malta, Morocco, Greece, Scotland and Iceland.

The cast includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Zendaya as Athena, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Charlize Theron as Circe, Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, Mia Goth as Melantho, along with Lupita Nyong’o, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Bill Irwin, Will Yun Lee, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Corey Hawkins, Nick E. Tarabay, Ryan Hurst, Jovan Adepo, Logan Marshall-Green, Jimmy Gonzales, Josh Stewart, Maurice Compte, Michael Vlamis, Iddo Goldberg and James Remar.

“The Odyssey” will be released in cinemas and IMAX on July 17th 2026.