Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of The Odyssey became one of the summer's biggest box office hits despite a sustained online hate campaign led by Elon Musk, who accused the film of "woke" casting choices and claimed it disrespected Homer's original epic poem. Musk's repeated attacks, including false claims that casting decisions were driven by new Oscar diversity requirements, inspired a wave of similar rightwing criticism online, but failed to dent public interest in the film, illustrating a recurring pattern in which such campaigns do not translate into real-world commercial damage.

The controversy centred on the casting of Lupita Nyong'o and Elliot Page, which Musk falsely suggested was required to satisfy flexible new Oscar diversity rules that do not, in fact, mandate specific casting. Despite weeks of criticism, The Odyssey has taken in more than $260m, putting it on course to surpass even the inflation-adjusted earnings of 2004's Troy, a film some critics ironically championed during the backlash. Commentators point to factors such as Nolan's popularity as a director, a starry and diverse cast including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland, and strong reviews as reasons the film succeeded regardless of the online outrage.