In the past week, numerous social‑media mini‑reviews have appeared, but official Rotten Tomatoes scores for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey have only just been released. While the early buzz was positive, a 99% rating still comes as a remarkable achievement, setting new records for both Nolan and this year’s major releases.
Having accumulated nearly 60 reviews, The Odyssey earned a 99% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes—an extraordinary score for such a high‑profile blockbuster. This figure outpaces recent titles such as Project Hail Mary (94%), Obsession (94%) and The Sheep Detectives (95%), and even exceeds last year’s Sinners (97%).
When measured against the rest of Nolan’s filmography, The Odyssey stands alone. No other movie in his discography—not even the Academy‑winning Oppenheimer—exceeds this rating. His complete list of critic scores is as follows:
- The Odyssey – 99% critic score
- The Dark Knight – 94% critic score
- Memento – 94% critic score
- Oppenheimer – 93% critic score
- Dunkirk – 93% critic score
- Insomnia – 92% critic score
- Following – 87% critic score
- The Dark Knight Rises – 87% critic score
- Batman Begins – 85% critic score
- The Prestige – 76% critic score
- Interstellar – 73% critic score
- Tenet – 70% critic score
The Odyssey
Rotten Tomatoes
The rating dwarfs any prior Nolan film, and the quick upward movement during the writing phase only underscores its dominance. With nearly all reviews in, only one critic—Edward Douglas—penned a notably low 6/10, yet Rotten Tomatoes still counts it as “fresh.” This rarity has led to speculation that the final consensus could round to an even 100%.
The film has already grossed an estimated $200 million worldwide, though that figure predates the recent surge in positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes scores don’t solely determine a movie’s commercial performance, yet such an enthusiastic critical response is likely to generate viral buzz and sustain audience interest, potentially extending the box‑office run.
Even the pre‑release online sentiment was impressive, making a 99% score virtually unprecedented for a blockbuster of this magnitude. Any earlier speculation about awards‑season contention now appears not just plausible but probable.
General audiences will see the film for the first time on Thursday, July 16. Whether they echo the critics’ enthusiasm remains to be seen, and we will report back on both audience reaction and the weekend’s box‑office performance.
Update: The consensus has slipped to 98% following additional reviews.
