Case Study: Odyssey and other Greek myths. Desire to rediscover stories after three thousand years

Few subjects have been adapted for the screen as often as Greek mythology. The Iliad and Odyssey are pillars of Western culture, and now Homer's epic has finally reached the biggest screen possible. Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Odyssey was released last month and showed that ancient epos can still ignite fierce discussions. What is more important, The Odyssey brought one of the highest earning opening weekends in cinemas, drawing packed theaters, even in the middle of the night. The craze for the 70mm version has spread around the world, despite the limited number of cinemas capable of screening the movie in this epic format. The Odyssey is still available only in cinemas, but also streaming platforms can reap profits from increased interest in content devoted to Greek mythology.

Before Odyssey there was the Trojan war. Also in cinematography. The movie Troy from 2004 was a blockbuster, however it was not so well received by movie critics. The film directed by Wolfgang Petersen with such stars in cast like Brad Pitt or Eric Bana became the most popular movie adaptation of the Iliad. Let’s find out, how its overall weekly popularity changed from the beginning of 2025 till the end of July this year:

The peak in viewership in November 2025 is not coincidental. During that month first images from The Odyssey were revealed, starting tense discussions about its cast. Higher interest in Troy was also observed this spring and in July, when The Odyssey was released in cinemas worldwide, and viewers from which countries were eager to remind themselves of this story before the cinema screening? Markets, where The Odyssey earned more than 5 million dollars on the opening weekend are highlighted:

It seems that many viewers wanted to refresh the story of Troy before or after watching The Odyssey in the cinema. The movie from 2004 is the most popular one, but it is not the only adaptation available on streaming platforms. In 2018 the BBC and Netflix produced the series Troy: Fall of a City. Has it also stood the test of time and stood out among viewers’ preferences before The Odyssey?

The trend is similar to what was observed in the case of the movie from 2004. The release of The Odyssey increased the popularity of the TV series Troy: Fall of a City in June by 262% in comparison to the monthly viewership level since the beginning of 2025. And how did it affect the popularity of other Odyssey adaptations (highlighted) among Greek mythology movies in July?

The Return and Ulysses found their place on the list of the most watched Greek mythology movies. Viewers interested in The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan can also watch the documentary The Odyssey: The Making of an Epic. It is available on Peacock in the US and on SkyShowtime in certain European countries. In the week of its release, which coincided with the release of the movie, it achieved fourth place among the documentaries on Peacock. All these cases show that cinemas and streaming platforms can live in symbiosis, willingly or unwillingly.