The Odyssey box office defies boycotts as Musk pivots to AI promise
While conservative commentators acknowledge the film’s success, Musk vows to use Grok to create a ‘historically accurate’ version, a move analysts view as unlikely to materialise.
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, has generated $264 million in its opening weekend, significantly outperforming predictions from a coalition of online critics and Elon Musk who had previously called for a boycott. The film, produced by Universal Pictures with a reported budget of $250 million and marketing costs of $125 million, has sailed past initial expectations despite a campaign that characterised the casting choices as “woke”.
The backlash had centred on the casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and Elliot Page as Sinon, with critics alleging historical inaccuracy. However, the combined screen time for these actors was approximately 10 minutes within the three-hour runtime. The controversy also appeared linked to broader cultural friction, including rejection of Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation of the poem, which was the first by a woman, and dissatisfaction with the film’s dialogue style.
In the wake of the box office results, some conservative figures have adjusted their stance. Ben Shapiro, a commentator previously critical of diversity initiatives, acknowledged the film as a landmark achievement. Yet, other voices on the platform X have resorted to conspiracy theories to explain the success. An anonymous account alleged that Universal Pictures was fabricating ticket sales by purchasing seats, citing unverifiable anecdotes from Reddit about empty cinemas.
Musk responded to the film’s success by highlighting an AI-generated clip of The Odyssey featuring white characters and British accents. He stated that his Grok Imagine tool would produce a full-length, “historically accurate” movie by the end of the year. Industry observers note that Musk’s history of unfulfilled year-end promises suggests this commitment is unlikely to be realised, particularly given the technical challenges of generating a coherent feature film.
The situation highlights a broader tension in the entertainment sector regarding the role of artificial intelligence. While some executives view AI as a method to reduce costs, Nolan’s commercial success reinforces the value of traditional filmmaking. Meanwhile, AI studio Fountain 0 is planning to release an AI-generated feature titled Odyssey: The Fall this summer, further complicating the landscape of content creation.
