The Odyssey’s MPAA Rating Revealed

Well, here we go: Christopher Nolan's next big project, The Odyssey, has landed itself an R rating from the MPA. You'd think with the piles of money involved, the studio might have pushed for something a touch friendlier to teenagers and their popcorn money, but apparently not. Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know The Odyssey is one of the most famous stories ever put to paper, so it's not exactly niche stuff—and, yes, studios often aim for PG-13 on blockbusters like this to keep the ticket sales rolling in. But clearly Nolan's not the sort to let that dictate his storytelling.

A Little Background on the R Rating

If you were hoping for a bloodless, all-ages Greek epic, no luck. The theatre chains are already pushing premium tickets for The Odyssey this week, and the full film profile reveals the R rating. It's not totally shocking—ancient Greek stories aren’t exactly cuddly—but some folks thought the studio would tone it down, especially considering the budget rumoured to be upwards of $250 million.

Does an R-Rating Really Matter for Nolan?

This is where things get interesting. Anyone wringing their hands over the rating should probably remember Nolan’s last outing. That would be Oppenheimer—plenty of mature content there as well, and it still raked in over $1 billion worldwide. That’s not a typo. It proves you can be a bit more grown-up and still get crowds through the door if your name on the poster is 'Christopher Nolan.'

'Nolan’s name recognition alone can help raise the film’s potential returns.'

Let’s be honest, people turn out for a Nolan film almost no matter what. He’s jumped between PG-13 and R over the years, but it hasn’t stopped anyone from buying a ticket, even if the subject matter isn’t obvious summer blockbuster material.

Why the Studio Probably Isn’t Sweating It

• The budget for The Odyssey is extravagant, allegedly north of $250 million.
• Plenty of suits in the business get nervous when an expensive film has an R slapped on it, since some of your younger punters can’t get in.
• But Nolan's track record is basically bulletproof, at least from a studio perspective.
• The source material—the Homeric epic itself—has massive built-in name recognition, and Greek mythology has never really gone out of fashion.
• Basically, the thought is people are going to pay to see this, rating aside, even if it isn’t quite Barbie numbers.

At the end of the day, the studio's given Nolan the freedom to tell The Odyssey exactly how he wants. If that means things get a little rough around the edges and the MPA slaps it with an R, everyone's just going to have to live with it. Not the most conventional business choice, but with Nolan behind the camera, they’ll probably get away with it once again.