[Vuk Valcic/Alamy Stock Photo]
A giant 11-meter Trojan horse appeared in London’s Trafalgar Square on Tuesday, days before the premiere of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” becoming the most visible symbol of a worldwide surge of interest in the filmmaker’s adaptation of Homer’s epic.
The spectacle in London was matched by activity in Melbourne, Australia, home to one of only 41 IMAX theaters worldwide – and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere – capable of delivering the experience Nolan envisioned.
Moviegoers from several countries have traveled there to see the film. Even before its release, “The Odyssey” has grown beyond the scale of a major Hollywood production, evolving into a global cultural phenomenon.
Universities, museums and social media users have revived discussions of Odysseus and the enduring power of a nearly 3,000-year-old work. Nolan’s commitment to IMAX has fueled demand. In Melbourne, more than 17,000 tickets were sold in the first 24 hours; reservations exceeded 30,000.
