‘The Odyssey’ Leaked on X: High-Quality Bootleg Seen by Millions in Hours Before Takedown
A high-quality bootleg of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" spread rapidly on X on 25 July, viewed by over 2.1 million people within two and a half hours before the platform removed it and suspended the account responsible. The leak highlights the persistent challenge major studios face in protecting big-budget releases from piracy on social media, even during a film's active theatrical run, though in this case it appears to have had no discernible impact on box office performance.
A post amplifying the pirated upload appeared at 2:25 p.m. PT from an account that has since been suspended, with Variety confirming the footage was genuine. Despite the leak, "The Odyssey" continued to perform strongly, taking a further $87 million in its second weekend along with sustained demand for Imax 70mm screenings. By 26 July, further copies circulating on X had largely been drowned out by mislabelled files that redirect viewers to a Rick Astley "Rickroll" instead. Separately, X owner Elon Musk has publicly criticised the film's casting choices and claimed his AI tool, Grok Imagine, would produce a "historically accurate" version later this year.
- Pirated "Odyssey" copy hit 2.1m X views before takedown
- Account behind leak was suspended by the platform
- Film's box office unaffected, taking $87m in weekend two