Tom Cruise Turns a Storm-Delayed ‘The Odyssey’ Screening Into a Surprise Treat for Theater Staff
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ has become one of the most anticipated theatrical events of the summer, and the buzz surrounding its release only grew louder this week thanks to an unexpected act of generosity from one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars. The film marks Nolan’s first project since 2023’s ‘Oppenheimer’ and has been billed as a technical milestone in filmmaking history.
Long known as one of the industry’s most outspoken defenders of the big screen experience, Tom Cruise made headlines again, this time not for a stunt or a box office record, but for a small, personal gesture inside a New York movie theater. His reputation for championing IMAX and traditional projection over streaming alternatives made what happened next feel right on brand.
According to the account DiscussingFilm, citing a report from Page Six, Cruise invited every AMC theater employee working in the building with him to watch ‘The Odyssey’ in IMAX. The screening in question took place at AMC Lincoln Square, one of the limited theaters nationwide equipped to show the film in true IMAX 70mm format.
Cruise had originally arranged to attend a scheduled screening at the venue on Wednesday night, but a thunderstorm rolling through Manhattan delayed his arrival until 10.45 p.m., well after the film had already wrapped. Rather than miss the movie entirely, IMAX arranged to re-screen the film specifically for Cruise once he finally reached the theater.
Before the lights went down, Cruise reportedly rounded up AMC staffers who were still mid-cleanup, sweeping the aisles and restocking concessions, and pulled them into the auditorium to watch the film together with him. It turned what could have been a disappointing scheduling mishap into a memorable night for the crew working the late shift.
Cruise later shared the experience with his followers online, thanking Nolan and his creative team for the film. Speaking in a post on Instagram, the actor called the film a “wow” and thanked the director along with producer Emma Thomas, adding that he could not wait to see it again.
The gesture lands at a moment when demand for ‘The Odyssey’ in its intended format is at a fever pitch. Only 25 theaters across the United States are currently equipped to project the film in true IMAX 70mm, and tickets for those showings have reportedly been difficult to secure since the film’s release. The film, which brings Homer’s epic to IMAX film screens for the first time, opened in theaters everywhere on July 17 and stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.
For a star who has spent years urging audiences back into theaters, treating a room full of AMC workers to Nolan’s latest epic feels less like a publicity moment and more like Cruise living out his own philosophy. Do you think more A-list stars should be following Cruise’s lead when it comes to celebrating the people who keep the movie theater experience running?
