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Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of “The Odyssey” is a bona fide cultural phenomenon (sorry, trolls!), shattering box office projections with a $264.1 million worldwide gross its opening weekend, earning rave reviews
from critics, unleashing a tidal wave of Oscar buzz and causing such a frenzy for Imax 70mm tickets that moviegoers have gone as far as embarking on cross-country trips and delaying pregnancies to see it.
The enormous popularity of Nolan’s summer blockbuster, which stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, who crosses paths with goddesses, sirens, a cyclops, armored giants and a Scylla during his decade-long return to Ithaca — where his wife and son, played by Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland, have been fending off a hall of scheming suitors vying for her hand and his throne — following the events of the Trojan War, has also boosted sales of the book version of Homer’s nearly 3,000-year-old tale, as sales across all editions of “The Odyssey” are up 76% this year, according to data from Circana BookScan.
And, as Variety can exclusively reveal, the Nolan bump has extended to Spotify streams of the audiobook format of “The Odyssey.” According to Spotify, “Across 91 audiobook editions in 10 languages, ‘The Odyssey’ has now been listened to on Spotify for the equivalent of more than 43 years of continuous playback.”
There’s more: On July 17, the opening day of Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” listens to the audiobook of “The Odyssey” jumped more than 500% on Spotify; in June, weeks before the premiere, listens to ‘The Odyssey’ jumped increased more than 240%, while post-premiere listens are on pace to be up roughly 680%; and on Spotify, “The Odyssey” has been especially popular among younger listeners, with 36% of listeners being Gen Z, 45% Millennial, and male listeners, with 63% of all listenership being men.
“It’s always exciting to see beloved classics find new audiences,” Lena Yang, Senior Editor for Audiobooks at Spotify, tells Variety. “Audiobooks offer a fresh way to experience timeless tales, and it’s especially rewarding to see listeners returning to ‘The Odyssey’ in such a meaningful way.”
