'The Odyssey' wins over audiences with higher Rotten Tomatoes score than critics

Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' earned higher Rotten Tomatoes audience score than critics alongside CinemaScore A

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has opened to strong audience approval, with early viewers rating the film even higher than critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

The historical epic currently holds a 95% Tomatometer score from critics, while its verified audience Popcornmeter score stands at 97%, suggesting cinema-goers have embraced the film even more enthusiastically during its opening weekend.

The positive response extends beyond Rotten Tomatoes. According to the report, audiences awarded The Odyssey an "A" CinemaScore, a rating widely associated with strong word-of-mouth and sustained box office performance. The score reflects reactions from opening-night audiences after seeing the film in cinemas.

Based on Homer's ancient Greek poem, The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside an ensemble cast that includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o and Zendaya.

The report also states that the R-rated film debuted with $124.5 million at the domestic box office, marking Nolan's biggest opening since 2012's The Dark Knight Rises and the third-largest debut of the year.

Audience demographics reportedly showed broad appeal. Males accounted for 56% of ticket buyers, while half of cinema-goers were aged between 18 and 34, indicating interest across multiple generations despite the film's nearly three-hour runtime and R rating.

According to the report, Universal invested approximately $250 million in production and an additional $125 million in global marketing.

With limited direct competition until late July, the studio is expected to rely on positive audience reactions to maintain momentum throughout the summer.