The Odyssey leak hits X as bootleg racks up millions of views
A high-quality copy of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey spread on X before a takedown, Variety reported, even as box office stayed strong.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
A high-quality version of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey appeared on X and was viewed by millions before it was pulled, according to Variety, turning the odyssey leak into a fast-moving piracy headache over the weekend.
Variety reported that a post on X at 2:25 p.m. PT on July 25 drew attention to an upload from an account that has since been suspended. The message pointed users to what Variety said it confirmed was a high-quality copy of the full film.
Within about two and a half hours, the post had climbed past 2.1 million views, according to Variety. By that point, the film stream had been replaced by a takedown notice, and the account behind the upload was later suspended.
Was The Odyssey leaked on X?
Yes, according to Variety. The outlet reported that a high-quality bootleg of The Odyssey was available on X on July 25, reached more than 2.1 million views in a matter of hours and was then removed behind a takedown notice.
The film, written, produced and directed by Christopher Nolan, has been one of the summer’s most in-demand theatrical releases. Variety’s report identified Robert Pattinson as playing Antinous in the movie.
The leak does not appear to have slowed the film’s commercial run, based on the figures cited by Variety. The outlet reported that The Odyssey earned another $87 million during its second weekend and said demand remained high for Imax 70 mm tickets.
What happened after the takedown?
By July 26, Variety reported that some copies of the bootleg were still appearing on X. The outlet said those uploads were largely being crowded out by mislabeled files claiming to be The Odyssey but instead serving up a Rickroll.
A Rickroll is an old internet prank in which a link promises one thing and sends viewers to Rick Astley’s 1987 music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up.” In this case, Variety reported that users searching for the movie were also running into those fake uploads.
The X leak comes as the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, has publicly criticized the Nolan film. Variety reported that Musk had objected to casting choices and wrote, “Who specifically is the asshole who added DEI lies to Academy Awards eligibility instead of it just being about making the best movie?”
Variety also reported that Musk later said his AI tool, Grok Imagine, would create a “historically accurate” version of The Odyssey for release this year.
No studio response was included in Variety’s report. The confirmed sequence, according to the outlet, is that the bootleg spread quickly, drew millions of views, was hit with a takedown notice and left behind a messy trail of clones and prank files on X.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.