Matt Damon's 2013 sci-fi film Elysium is officially heading to Netflix in August 2026, timed to capitalise on renewed interest in the actor following the huge box-office success of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Damon plays Odysseus in that film, which has just overtaken his own The Martian to become his biggest-ever leading role and is on track to surpass $1 billion worldwide, making it Nolan's highest-grossing picture to date. Elysium is being positioned as a loose sci-fi companion piece, sharing Greek mythology influences with The Odyssey, albeit far less directly.

Directed by Neill Blomkamp as his major Hollywood follow-up to the acclaimed District 9, Elysium was made on a reported $130 million budget and grossed around $285 million globally, a modest hit rather than a blockbuster, and one that critics felt fell short of Blomkamp's earlier promise. By comparison, The Odyssey's projected $1 billion-plus haul would be roughly double The Martian's $630 million total and around four times what Elysium earned. Damon has featured in bigger hits, including Christopher Nolan's Interstellar and Oppenheimer, though not in leading roles.