The Odyssey is too loud, say film fans
The Odyssey is too loud, say film fans
Alice LilleyFri, July 31, 2026 at 4:44 PM UTC
0
Film fans have complained the sound effects are deafening - Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Studios
Cinemas are beloved for their booming sound systems – but Hollywood has been accused of taking things too far with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
Film fans have taken to social media to complain that they had left the cinema with ringing ears, migraines or headaches, and that the screenings were “the loudest thing” they had ever heard.
Nolan’s retelling of Homer’s epic poem has been praised for its visuals, but discussion online has focused on how loud the Imax and Dolby Cinema screenings are.
Social media users also complained that they could not hear the dialogue above the soundtrack and other effects.
‘Reckless’
One X user wrote: “The volume during The Odyssey in AMC Dolby was insane. People were holding their ears and wearing earplugs just to get through it. My ears are ringing, and my migraine still hasn’t gone away. That’s not immersive. That’s reckless.”
Another said: “The Odyssey was awesome but pretty wild no one’s been talking about their ear drums being busted all the way open or their internal organs being liquified by the sheer volume of this picture... I’m serious when I say it’s the loudest thing I have heard in my entire life.”
One film-goer said: “It was the loudest movie I’ve ever seen and it legit hurt my ears as well. My seats were shaking from bass almost the whole time.”The film, released in UK cinemas on July 17, was shot entirely on 70mm film specifically designed for dedicated Imax screens, of which there are around 45 globally.
Christopher Nolan at the premiere of The Odyssey in Mumbai. He has a reputation for loud films, it is claimed - Sujit Jaiswal/AFP via Getty
Produced by the Oscar-winning director, the 172-minute film stars A-list actors including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson.
Advertisement
A viral TikTok post also joked about the volume during a storm sequence, with one comment reading: “I literally thought to myself thank God I don’t have epilepsy.” Others said they struggled to hear dialogue, with one viewer writing that despite seeing the film three times, they still “can’t make out a word the Cyclops says”, while another described the moment the giant was blinded as “the most blistering sound I have ever experienced”.
Audiences and cinema critics previously criticised the audio mix in Nolan’s Tenet and Oppenheimer.
Some viewers suggested the issue may vary depending on the cinema and format, with Imax Dolby Cinema and 4DX screenings often singled out for their intense audio levels.
Others on social media said cinemas had handed out earplugs to customers after receiving complaints, but other fans insisted the overwhelming sound was part of the intended experience.
Nolan’s film has generated £450m at the global box office in only two weekends after its release, far exceeding its £187m budget from Universal.
The criticism comes as more than two million people watched The Odyssey not in Imax, but on X.
A full-length version of the film went viral on the social media platform last weekend when a user breached copyright law and posted it.The film studio responded to the piracy incident, stating that it took “all appropriate remedies” to protect its content.
Meanwhile, Emily Wilson, the classicist whose Odyssey translation Nolan cited in early publicity as inspiration for his blockbuster adaptation, has called the film “grandiose” and “superficial” and his writing “abysmal”.
The Telegraph has contacted Nolan’s representatives for comment.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
