Tom Cruise has given Christopher Nolan's new film "The Odyssey" a public endorsement after attending an early screening, thanking Nolan, his producing partner Emma Thomas, and the cast and crew on social media for "an amazing night in a movie theatre." The praise carries weight because both men are widely regarded as leading champions of theatrical cinema, and Cruise's backing is likely to boost the film's prospects as it heads into its opening weekend.

The Odyssey, released in cinemas from Friday, adapts Homer's epic and stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, with Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, Travis Scott and Charlize Theron rounding out the cast. It holds a 96 percent critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and is notable as the first feature shot entirely on Imax 70mm film. Cruise, who famously delayed Top Gun: Maverick's release during the pandemic to protect its cinema debut, has a track record of promoting other directors' work, including Nolan's Tenet and Oppenheimer, and is himself preparing for the October release of his next film, Digger, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu.