‘The Odyssey’ Oscar Blitz to Begin With Robert Downey Jr., Guillermo del Toro and Steven Spielberg as Moderators

‘The Odyssey’ Oscar Blitz to Begin With Robert Downey Jr., Guillermo del Toro and Steven Spielberg as Moderators Universal Pictures / Getty Odysseus spent 10 years getting home. Universal is giving “The Odyssey” about 10 weeks to get its name on a ballot. The studio’s official Oscar campaign for Christopher Nolan’s epic kicks off in earnest the week of Nov. 9, Variety has learned, with a run of screenings and Q & As that puts Nolan, producer Emma Thomas and star Matt Damon in front of voters nearly every night for two weeks. Robert Downey Jr., who won supporting actor for “Oppenheimer” (2024), will moderate the Los Angeles kickoff on Nov. 11 at the TCL Chinese Theatre, with an Imax 70mm screening. Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro will be on hand at the AMC Universal CityWalk session on Nov. 12. Steven Spielberg will handle Nolan at the DGA Theater on Nov. 17, in 70mm. That’s seven Oscar statuettes sitting in the moderator’s chair, and the campaign strategy is plain enough to see. “The Odyssey” opened in July to a $264.1 million global debut, the biggest of Nolan’s career. It has since crossed $1.1 billion, becoming his highest-grossing film. Universal and Nolan’s team are continuing to focus on the format. Nearly every Los Angeles date is tagged Imax 70mm, 70mm or 35mm, reminding the membership that Homer’s poem was shot entirely using Imax film cameras and built to be judged on a screen the size of a building and not on a laptop or their home TV using the Academy digital portal. The fall campaign leans on format and prestige in an effort to convince voters it’s more than a box office hit. Only two films that cleared $1 billion have won best picture, “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” Others, like “Avatar,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Barbie” all got in but went home without the top prize. It’s a reminder that some voters might treat a summer tentpole as only that. However, Nolan has one major credential that could clear all of those hurdles. “Oppenheimer,” also a summer blockbuster, took home seven Oscars back at the 2025 ceremony, including best picture and director. One of the campaign’s centerpieces during this awards blitz isn’t a screening of the film at all. On Nov. 10, Universal’s Spielberg Theater will host the world premiere of “Behind the Scenes of The Odyssey,” a 75-minute making-of documentary introduced by Nolan himself. The film’s star Damon, who plays Odysseus, will moderate the Q&A afterward, which will include all the key artisan players: producer Emma Thomas, casting director John Papsidera, editor Jennifer Lame, production designer Ruth De Jong, costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, hair department head Gloria Casny, makeup department head Luisa Abel, sound mixer Willie Burton, supervising sound editor Craig Henighan, composer and songwriter Ludwig Göransson and visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson. A reception will follow. If the movie ends up with a dozen nominations, and Variety thinks it will, many of them will come from the people invited to that room. The first set of campaign events is listed below. “Behind the Scenes of The Odyssey” World Premiere Tuesday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m. | Universal Studios, Spielberg Theater | Runtime: 75 minutes | Introduction by Christopher Nolan, followed by a Q&A and reception with producer Emma Thomas, casting director John Papsidera, editor Jennifer Lame, production designer Ruth De Jong, costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, head of hair department Gloria Casny, head of makeup department Luisa Abel, sound mixer Willie Burton, supervising sound editor Craig Henighan, composer and songwriter Ludwig Göransson and visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson | Moderated by actor Matt Damon “The Odyssey” Screening Schedule Los Angeles Wednesday, Nov. 11, 6:30 p.m. | TCL Chinese Theatre (Imax 70mm) | Q&A with Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Matt Damon | Moderated by Robert Downey Jr. Thursday, Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. | AMC Universal CityWalk (Imax 70mm) | Q&A with Christopher Nolan, Andrew Jackson and Matt Damon | Moderated by Guillermo del Toro Friday, Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m. | Universal Studios, Spielberg Theater (35mm) | Q&A with John Papsidera, Ellen Mirojnick, Luisa Abel and Gloria Casny | Reception to follow Saturday, Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m. | Academy Museum, Geffen Theater (70mm) | Q&A with Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, John Leguizamo, Zendaya, Himesh Patel and Elliot Page Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6:30 p.m. | DGA Theater #1 (70mm) | Q&A with Christopher Nolan | Moderated by Steven Spielberg Friday, Nov. 20, 6:30 p.m. | Imax Playa Vista (Imax) New York Monday, Nov. 9, 6 p.m. | AMC Lincoln Square (70mm) Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6 p.m. | AMC Lincoln Square (Imax 70mm) San Francisco Thursday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m. | AMC Metreon 16 (Imax 70mm) United Kingdom Wednesday, Nov. 11, 6:30 p.m. | BFI Imax, London (Imax 70mm) Sunday, Nov. 15, 1:30 p.m. | Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London (70mm) Friday, Nov. 20, 6:30 p.m. | Odeon Luxe West End, London Bristol | Date TBA Europe Sunday, Nov. 8, 5:30 p.m. | Soho House, Rome | Reception to follow Tuesday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m. | Grand Teatret, Copenhagen Thursday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m. | Achtberlin, Berlin Monday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m. | Yelmo Luxury Palafox, Madrid Australia/New Zealand Wednesday, Nov. 11, 6 p.m. | Palace Como, Cinema 1, Melbourne Tuesday, Nov. 24, 6:30 p.m. | The Roxy, Cinema 1, Wellington Brazil Wednesday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m. | Cinesystem Cinemas, Rio de Janeiro “The Odyssey” Oscar campaign listings (per Universal’s FYC materials) Best Picture: Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan Director: Christopher Nolan Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, based on Homer’s “Odyssey” Actor: Matt Damon Supporting Actor: Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Samantha Morton Casting: John Papsidera Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema Film Editing: Jennifer Lame Production Design: Ruth De Jong (production designer), Larry Dias (set decorator) Costume Design: Ellen Mirojnick Makeup and Hairstyling: Luisa Abel, Gloria Casny, Conor O’Sullivan, Rox Hodenfield Sound: Willie Burton, Craig Henighan, Gary A. Rizzo, Kevin O’Connell Original Score: Ludwig Göransson Original Song: “When I’m Home,” written by James Blake, Ludwig Göransson and Travis Scott Visual Effects: Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley, Giacomo Mineo, Scott R. Fisher More from Variety