The Odyssey Hits $640 Million as Greek PM Thanks Nolan

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis thanked filmmaker Christopher Nolan for putting a modern spotlight on Ancient Greece with the film The Odyssey, his office said Tuesday.

Mitsotakis congratulated the British director in a teleconference on Monday after the film topped the US box office for two straight weeks and reached $640 million worldwide.

The prime minister's office said Mitsotakis thanked Nolan for helping to boost global interest in ancient Greek civilisation. Mitsotakis said productions of this kind linked Greece's cultural heritage with contemporary creativity.

The Odyssey follows the Greek hero Odysseus on his journey home after the Trojan War. The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as Telemachus.

Several scenes were filmed in Messenia and Corinth in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece.

The film has also generated debate. Spotify reported increased interest in audiobook translations of The Odyssey, while Elon Musk criticised the film on X. Before its release, Musk criticised Nolan's casting of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and Elliot Page as the Greek warrior Sinon. In Greece, some criticism has focused on the lack of Greek actors beyond extras.