Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of “The Odyssey” has turned into a bona fide cultural phenomenon (sorry, trolls!), smashing expectations with a $264.1 million worldwide gross in its opening weekend. Critics have heaped praise on the summer blockbuster, Oscar chatter is surging, and demand for Imax 70mm screenings has reached such heights that some moviegoers are making cross-country trips and even postponing life plans to catch it on the big screen.
From screen to shelves: renewed interest in Homer
Nolan’s epic — which casts Matt Damon as Odysseus, who, after the Trojan War, spends a decade battling goddesses, sirens, a cyclops, armored giants and a Scylla on his return to Ithaca, where his wife and son (played by Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland) contend with a hall of scheming suitors — has also spurred readers to seek out the original text. Sales across all editions of “The Odyssey” are up 76% this year, according to data from Circana BookScan.
Spotify data reveals an audiobook boom
And, as Variety can exclusively reveal, the Nolan bump has extended to Spotify streams of audiobooks. According to Spotify, “Across 91 audiobook editions in 10 languages, ‘The Odyssey’ has now been listened to on Spotify for the equivalent of more than 43 years of continuous playback.”
Listening spikes and audience breakdown
The timing of the surge is striking: on July 17, the film’s opening day, listens to the audiobook of “The Odyssey” jumped more than 500% on Spotify; in June, weeks before the premiere, listens increased more than 240%, and post‑premiere listens are on pace to be up roughly 680%. Spotify also reports the audience skews younger and male — 36% of listeners are Gen Z, 45% are Millennial, and 63% of all listenership is men.
Industry reaction
“It’s always exciting to see beloved classics find new audiences,” Lena Yang, Senior Editor for Audiobooks at Spotify, tells Variety. “Audiobooks offer a fresh way to experience timeless tales, and it’s especially rewarding to see listeners returning to ‘The Odyssey’ in such a meaningful way.”
