The Odyssey bucks Hollywood, skipping influencer screenings

Let's talk about Universal Pictures doing something a bit out of character for Hollywood these days with Christopher Nolan's latest epic, 'The Odyssey'. If you're used to that whole influencer-first wave of promotional hype—mini-reviews pouring over your timeline before a single critic has seen a frame—well, Universal's swerving away from that. Instead, they're steering The Odyssey straight into the hands of proper critics after its global premiere in London on 6 July. No early peeks for Instagrammers, YouTubers, or the TikTok crowd—critics get first dibs, like it’s 2008.

Why is Universal skipping the influencer circus?

Hollywood, for the past few years, has been big on these influencer screenings: invite a few dozen internet personalities, let the positive snippets loose, and watch the buzz snowball before the press has even sharpened a pencil. It's become so routine for films with blockbuster ambitions that skipping it actually makes you stand out.

But audiences have started to catch on. Remember that recent dust-up with 'The Mandalorian and Grogu'? Disney got called out after what was meant to look like a surprise meet-and-greet at Disneyland turned out to be as spontaneous as a weather forecast—influencers, staged photos, the lot. Naturally, people weren't impressed.

Universal knows this game can backfire. Their last go with influencer screenings, for 'Disclosure Day', sparked a 'quote that launched a thousand eyerolls': someone called it 'Spielberg's best film in 20 years', and professional critics ended up referencing that in their actual reviews—as an example of how overblown the hype machine's become.

Here’s what’s happening with The Odyssey

• The global premiere lands in London on 6 July.
• After that, the only folks seeing it pre-release are film critics—everyone else, including influencers, waits for opening day.
• The release date: UK cinemas (and everywhere else) get it from 17 July.
• The cast is properly stacked: Matt Damon has the lead as Odysseus, backed up by Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, and Robert Pattinson. So, expect plenty of heavy-lifting when it comes to the drama and probably a few awards season headlines.

Nolan's take, Universal's gamble

All in, it's a bit of a surprise move for Universal—not just because they're turning away from influencer marketing, but because it's with a film as big as a Nolan epic. There’s a sense they want the conversation driven by actual film writing, not a flurry of glowing one-liners from social media accounts that might just be reading from the press release.

'The first audiences to see it will be professional film critics.'

If this works, it could signal a bit of a shake-up in how blockbuster tentpoles are launched. If not, well, at least we know who to blame for the next viral 'best in 20 years' claim.