Universal skips – Universal has decided to skip its usual influencer preview screenings for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” choosing instead to stick with a more traditional press pipeline. The move is drawing quick praise from film critics—and comes as the film gears up for
By the time Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” hits London on July 7, the internet will already be loud. The fight—over ancient Greece on screen, over casting, over whether the film is “woke” or just faithful to its source—has been simmering since the announcement in late 2024.
But Universal is trying to control one part of the noise before it becomes a wave. The studio has opted to skip the influencer previews it typically holds, according to a report on Thursday. Those screenings are common across Hollywood. and they often generate enthusiastic social media reactions—posts and fan blog write-ups that can take some of the edge off whatever follows from professional reviews.
Universal’s choice does not mean no one online gets an early look. TikTok and YouTube content creators will still be able to see the film ahead of release, along with the press. What the studio is refusing is the influencer-first cycle—the practice of turning social reactions into the movie’s earliest public impression.
Film critics reacted immediately, and with unusual heat. Scott Mantz, a cofounder of the Hollywood Critics Association, wrote “GOOD!!” on X after the news broke, adding that “EVERYONE knows those so-called ‘influencer’ social media reactions are TOTAL BULLSHIT.”
IndieWire chief film critic David Ehrlich leaned into the joke. tweeting on X that it was “what Homer would have wanted.” Others sounded pleased but skeptical that it would catch on. Kristen Lopez. editor-in-chief of the independent newsletter The Film Maven. wrote on X: “Good on Universal!” and added. “Interesting to see if other studios follow suit (though I’d lean towards no).”.
For Tim Grierson, senior US critic for Screen International, the decision is more than a feel-good jab at internet culture. He described skipping influencer showings as a “great” idea. saying studios often try to reduce the importance of professional critics by letting influencers speak first. He also called it part of a broader effort to push the message that certain blockbusters are “for the fans. not the critics.”.
Universal, in Grierson’s view, is making a direct bet on the older publicity cycle instead. Influencers, he said, can be “very gushy and uncritical,” and the studio is essentially deciding it doesn’t need that kind of word-of-mouth to kick things off.
At the same time, Grierson points out a second advantage—especially for Nolan. If and when people outside the influencer track get invited to press screenings. they are watching from the same seat as the rest of the early audience. That shared timing. he argued. can leave even the influencers who attend press screenings thinking the filmmaker “values me as a smart. professional critic!”.
Grierson’s skepticism about online hot takes doesn’t stop him from expecting to write his own review. He said he expects to review the film himself, and he suggested that critics who feel respected are more likely to evaluate films on their merits.
Some anti-woke crusaders have framed the move as a sign of fear—an attempt to avoid major right-wing backlash by elevating establishment criticism over internet “hot takes.” But nothing in the current picture points to panic inside Universal. The movie is already tracking for a massive opening of $80 million to $100 million. and demand has been intense enough to crash the ecosystem of ticketing. Movie theater apps and websites overloaded when tickets went on sale earlier this month.
The rush has already broken records in the UK. “The Odyssey” shattered the record for most seats sold in a 24-hour period at BFI Imax. which has the largest screen in the UK. Premium Imax and 70-mm showings in the US have also sold out quickly. and scalpers have moved in—listing tickets for as much as $1. 000 on eBay.
All of it means Universal’s influencer-skip isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s taking place while the movie’s public momentum is being measured in ticket systems collapsing and screens selling out—not in the first flurry of early posts.
Universal The Odyssey Christopher Nolan influencer screenings film critics Hollywood ticket sales BFI Imax Imax 70-mm eBay scalpers cybersecurity trends