Teens and tweens hoping to find out if Odysseus makes it home to Ithaca are going to need to bring a parent or adult guardian to the multiplexes.
“The Odyssey,” Christopher Nolan‘s sprawling adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association. It’s unclear why the picture got this designation (we’re guessing some minotaur carnage and body-count heavy battles?). It’s unusual for a summer blockbuster to carry an R-rating lately — studios typically try to have their action-heavy adventures earn PG-13 or PG ratings so they can play to the broadest audience possible.
However, Nolan’s last film, “Oppenheimer,” had an R rating and was released in the heart of summer. It went on to gross nearly $1 billion at the global box office. Other Nolan summer films like “Inception,” “Dunkirk,” “Tenet” and the “Dark Knight” trilogy all received PG-13 ratings.
Universal, which partnered with Nolan on “Oppenheimer,” is distributing “The Odyssey.” It opens on July 17 — a summer stretch where many of the directors other films have found success. “The Odyssey” reportedly carries a budget of 250 million, so it will need to bring in crowds. It ranks as perhaps the most expensive R-rated movie in history, topping the likes of “Joker: Folie à Deux” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.” In addition to Nolan, one of the biggest names in movies, the cast includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Anne Hathaway.
