A high-quality bootleg version of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” was viewed millions of times on X before the social media platform took it down – the latest development in fans’ desperate frenzy to watch the epic.
The pirated version of the movie racked up more than 2.1 million views on X Saturday within two and a half hours before it was replaced with a takedown notice and the account was suspended, according to Variety.
“Someone upload[ed] ‘The Odyssey’ full movie on X. Can you believe it?” one user wrote in a separate social media post with 3 million views, which helped boost the bootleg on users’ feeds.
On Sunday, a lower-quality copy of the movie was removed from X after amassing nearly 50,000 views in two hours, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
As of Monday, there were videos floating around X that purported to be illicit copies of “The Odyssey” – but were actually “rickrolling,” a longtime internet meme that tricks people into clicking links and then loads the music video for Rick Astley’s 1987 hit, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” In this case, over two hours of the song on repeat.
A spokesperson for Universal Pictures told The Post they immediately initiated takedown protocols after they became aware of the leak.
“We take copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all appropriate remedies to protect our content and intellectual property rights,” the spokesperson added.
It’s unlikely the film production giant is sweating over the bootlegs, as the nearly three-hour film continues to dominate at the box office – bringing in a stunning $87 million domestically in its second week in theaters thanks to demand for IMAX 70 mm tickets.
“The Odyssey” saw a similarly impressive $124.5 million in its opening week, making it the third-largest debut of the year – but it’s a particular feat since the film is R-rated, limiting the number of people who can buy tickets.
Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is the first feature film to be shot entirely on heavy, noisy IMAX cameras, a feat that has film fanatics desperate to see the movie on a true IMAX 70 mm big screen – but there’s only 40 such theaters around the world.
Unprecedented demand for these pricier IMAX tickets is driving the box office blowout – and even prompting some frantic cinephiles to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars to scalpers on eBay hawking re-sold tickets.
In a post underneath the initial bootleg copy, which was taken down, one user joked about the phenomenon, writing: “The full odyssey movie in a tweet, as nolan intended.”
The IMAX mania is perhaps most amplified in New York City, where there is only one theater with a 70 mm screen – the AMC Lincoln Square 13 on the Upper West Side, where tickets are sold out through August.
Meanwhile, Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk – who also owns the social media platform X – has railed against Nolan’s movie, accusing him of making “DEI” casting choices in order to raise his odds of being nominated for an Academy Award.
Musk has specifically retweeted posts attacking Nolan’s casting of black actress Lupita N’yong’o as Helen of Troy and actor Eliot Page, who is transgender, for his role as a Greek warrior.
Nolan’s 2023 film “Oppenheimer,” which had a predominantly white cast, won the Oscar for “Best Picture” at the 2024 awards ceremony.
Musk has said his AI tool Grok Imagine will make a “historically accurate” version of “The Odyssey” for release later this year.
