Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a video call with Christopher Nolan to congratulate him on his blockbuster adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey", thanking the director for boosting global interest in ancient Greek culture. The gesture comes as a notable counterpoint to criticism from classicist Emily Wilson, whose acclaimed 2017 translation Nolan cited as an influence, and who had just published a scathing review calling the film's script something she "would be ashamed" to have written.

The film's three-month shoot took place across the Peloponnese in spring 2025, at sites including Nestor's Cave, Voidokilia Beach, Methoni Castle and Acrocorinth, with the $250 million production drawing on Greece's 40% cash rebate scheme worth €6.4 million ($7.2 million). Despite initial criticism over the lack of Greek actors in the cast, the film has been well received locally, and by 29 July had racked up 408,758 cinema admissions over two weeks across 300 Greek cinemas, comfortably ahead of Toy Story 5's 252,640 admissions after six weeks in release.