Matt Damon Says 'The Odyssey' Is Worth It for This Reason Alone (Exclusive)

In case you haven't heard, there's a summer blockbuster coming out soon, starring Matt Damon.

There is so much buzz surrounding The Odyssey that director Christopher Nolan just had a historic movie theater named after him as the release date nears.

"To be recognized in this way by Alamo Drafthouse, and with this particular theater which continues the great tradition of showing films on 70mm film, is an incredible honour," Nolan, 55, said in a statement Wednesday, June 10 regarding the San Francisco location.

Meanwhile, the movie's leading man, 55, has been out and about doing promotion - but for his own sort of passion project. Damon spoke exclusively to Parade this week about his Water.org nonprofit's new initiative and also took time to reflect on his experience working on Nolan's latest big-budget feature.

"Odyssey was definitely the hardest thing I've ever done - it's not even close - for everybody, for the entire crew," Damon told Parade. "And that's what made it so, so great to work on, was - you were working as hard as you ever had, but you realized that every single person around you was, too. And so it was really fun to be a part of that group."

The Oscar winner also teased the grand-scale nature of his upcoming epic - and when asked what he's most excited for audiences to experience, here's what Damon said:

"I think seeing it on IMAX, if you can, because... it was not easy shooting an entire film in IMAX. It was really challenging, and a lot of people had to work really hard to make that happen, and so... I feel like it's really going to be worth it for the audience."

The Odyssey hits theaters July 17, and Damon will surely be doing those press rounds as the date approaches. But on Tuesday, June 9, his charity's Get Blue initiative launched, and U.S. consumers can easily get involved. Find out more in Damon's PSA below.

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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 1:50 PM.