Universal created a giant 36-foot, 8,800-pound Trojan Horse as the centrepiece of the London world premiere for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey”, turning a standard red-carpet event into a large-scale publicity spectacle. The replica mattered because it tied the film’s marketing directly to one of the story’s most recognisable symbols, helping the premiere stand out even with a star-heavy cast including Nolan, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and Charlize Theron.

The horse was commissioned by Universal Pictures International UK & Eire and built as an exact copy of the prop used in the film, based on production blueprints. A team of 34 spent 288 hours constructing it from polystyrene, steel, resin tin foil and fibreglass, while 45 people were involved overall in designing, building and assembling it; it was transported in four parts plus a base on three trucks and took six people about nine hours to put together. After the July 13 London premiere, it was due to appear in Trafalgar Square on July 14 and outside Westfield London from July 16 for four days, while separate Trojan Horses were also being used in the US ahead of the film’s July 17 release.