'The Odyssey' Makes Telling Move Ahead of Premiere

Typically, before a major film hits the big screen for movie-goers, film studios host influencer screenings, inviting social media content creators, fan-site bloggers, and other types of online personalities rather than traditional film critics in order to drum up excitement and discourse for a film before its release.

In a bit of a telling move, however, Universal has decided not to do that for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which is without doubt the most highly anticipated movie of the summer.

No Influencer Screenings

According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has decided not to hold any sort of influencer screenings for The Odyssey. Instead, the film will premiere in London on July 6, and then will begin screening for film critics.

As THR points out, this is a telling move from the studio that shows confidence in the film, as studios can usually count on these influencer screenings to generate overwhelmingly positive buzz for a film ahead of its release.

"The move bucks the trend of studios getting ahead of professional reviews by inviting fan-site bloggers and influencers to see major releases in advance and then letting them post (often highly enthusiastic) mini reviews on social media," James Hibberd wrote for THC.

Hibberd notes that while studios do influencer screenings on a case-by-case basis, they have become pretty standard, especially for high-profile releases.

Influencer Screenings Can Backfire

While studios can usually count on influencer screenings to drum up positive buzz for a movie ahead of its release, this strategy can backfire, as Hibberd notes.

Universal's decision not to hold influencer screenings comes after several studios faced backlash for influencer reviews or influencer stunts.

Disney faced pushback for using influencers to promote The Mandalorian and Grogu in a viral stunt involving Pedro Pascal. Meanwhile, some extremely positive reviews for Warner Bros.' Supergirl and Universal's Disclosure Day drew skepticism.

It's not clear whether the decision not to use influencer screenings for The Odyssey is based on these recent failures. Either way, it's telling and shows confidence in the film.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 27, 2026 at 2:05 PM.