New Delhi, July 11, 2026 — The stars aligned over India’s cinematic capital as visionary filmmaker Christopher Nolan, along with Hollywood heavyweights Matt Damon and Tom Holland, made landfall for the highly anticipated India premiere of The Odyssey. Held at the PVR Icon IMAX theatre in Lower Parel, Mumbai, the star-studded event marked a historic milestone: it was the first time an official Christopher Nolan film hosted a public premiere stop in India.
The city was chosen by Universal Pictures International as an official leg of the film’s exclusive global tour, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with traditional stops like London, Paris, and New York. Fans and media personnel who gathered for the screening were treated to a massive surprise when the trio, accompanied by producer Emma Thomas, took to the stage post-screening, prompting deafening cheers that echoed throughout the complex.
A Dream Long in the Making for Christopher Nolan
For Nolan, returning to India is a familiar experience, but premiering a film here represents a long-held career goal. The Oscar-winning director previously utilized Indian backdrops for his massive blockbusters, filming portions of The Dark Knight Rises at the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur and staging high-octane action sequences in Mumbai for Tenet.
Addressing the ecstatic audience, Nolan expressed deep gratitude for the country’s cinematic culture.
The director then playfully turned the spotlight onto his leading men, asking the roaring crowd, “Just a quick question—who was better, Matt or Tom?” The question was met with laughter and chants of Nolan’s own name, though he quickly added that both actors turned in spectacular performances.
Matt Damon Hails the “First Real Audience”
The Odyssey, budgeted at an astounding $250 million, adapts Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem into a sprawling, mythic action blockbuster. Matt Damon takes on the monumental lead role of Odysseus, the legendary king of Ithaca navigating a perilous ten-year journey home after the fall of Troy.
Damon, who committed to a grueling physical regimen, a strict diet, and grew a real beard for a year to capture the raw grit of the character, was visibly moved by the crowd’s response. He noted that while they had technically screened the film once before, that was exclusively for immediate family and friends.
“This is really just wonderful,” Damon said. “This is the first real audience we’ve been in front of that’s seen the film. It means the world to us that you liked it. We worked very, very hard on it. It was the result of thousands of people really pushing themselves to make this happen, so that you could see it this way, filmed entirely in IMAX.”
Tom Holland Wins Hearts with a ‘Namaste’
If the excitement was high for Nolan and Damon, it reached a fever pitch the moment Tom Holland stepped up to the microphone. Playing Telemachus—the fiercely loyal prince searching for his lost father—Holland captured the loudest applause of the night, which he warmly acknowledged with a respectful, traditional namaste gesture.
Clad in a sharp but casual white shirt and black trousers, Holland mirrored the immense energy radiating from the theater seats. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for always welcoming us with such open arms, happiness, excitement, grace, and love,” Holland told the crowd. “No one brings an energy to a movie theatre like you do here in India. Thank you for supporting us and enjoying Chris’ amazing work.”
Before passing back the microphone, the Spider-Man star couldn’t help but pitch a hopeful future for the narrative, joking, “I cannot wait for this movie to be a sequel.”
What to Expect From ‘The Odyssey’
Clocking in at a massive runtime of 172 minutes (2 hours, 52 minutes), The Odyssey is shaping up to be one of Nolan’s most ambitious structural feats. The film follows the war-weary Odysseus as he battles mythical monsters, navigates the wrath of gods, and tries to reunite with his wife, Penelope (played by Anne Hathaway).
The multi-country epic features a powerhouse ensemble cast, a sweepingly grand score by Ludwig Göransson, and cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema.
The film has officially received an ‘A’ certificate (Restricted to audiences 18 and above) from India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), passing completely intact without a single cut. This preserves Nolan’s exact cinematic vision for adult audiences when it officially hits public theaters on July 17, 2026.
Following the media screening on Friday, the promotional tour continues into Saturday with an exclusive industry screening at the historic Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Colaba, where members of Bollywood and the Indian filmmaking community will gather to welcome Hollywood’s finest. If the initial reactions from the Mumbai premiere are any indicator, The Odyssey is poised to be a monumental triumph at the global box office.