Fact Check: Did Greece pull Nolan's 'The Odyssey' from theatres citing an insult to Homer?

ATHENS, GREECE: As Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ continues to garner critical and commercial acclaim, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that Greece has pulled the film from theaters after two days, citing an insult to Homer’s legacy. The claim has sparked concerns and criticisms, prompting a fact-check of the viral rumor.

Claim: 'The Odyssey' pulled from theatres in Greece

According to the viral rumor, Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ premiered in Athens to a packed house and by the end of the first scene, half the audience had already walked out.

Following this, Greek theaters across the country have now pulled the film after just two nights, calling it “an insult to the legacy of Homer,” the ancient Greek poet credited as the author of the epic which the film is based on.

The post claims Greek Foreign Minister Jostaki Barronopolous said, “American film companies need to learn some respect for ancient works of art. This wasn’t the movie to go woke.” 

The post further argues that Hollywood disrespects traditional cultural stories by making casting choices it sees as driven by modern politics.

It claims the country where the story originated rejected the decision, suggesting that not all cultures accept reinterpreting historical or mythological works in this way.

Fact Check: False, no credible evidence to support the claim

The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence that the epic movie was pulled out of the theatres in Greece due to disrespect for Homer.

A Google search for the claim yielded no credible reports by prominent news and entertainment media outlets stating that the film was banned in the European country.

There are also no records of Greece’s foreign minister slamming the film. Moreover, the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister is Giorgos Gerapetritis, not Jostaki Barronopolous as mentioned in the post, and a search for this name yielded no results.

'The Odyssey' crosses $600M at global box office

Despite the controversies over its casting, Nolan’s star-studded adaptation of the Greek epic has surpassed $600 million at the global box office after only two weekends in theaters. 

Starring Matt Damon as the Greek king Odysseus, the film has made $639.6 million worldwide, with $353.2 million from international markets and $284.4 million domestically.

Even with its nearly three-hour runtime and R rating, the film’s strong performance shows Nolan’s knack for attracting large audiences.