In a surprising twist fit for the gods themselves, a nearly three-decade-old television miniseries is enjoying a major streaming comeback. Francis Ford Coppola's 1997 adaptation of The Odyssey has climbed the iTunes charts in July 2026, fueled by the massive success of Christopher Nolan's big-screen version of the same ancient epic.
Nolan's film, which stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Robert Pattinson, has been a box office phenomenon. With a budget of $250 million, it has already grossed over $260 million worldwide and earned rave reviews—a 95% critics' score and 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The site's consensus calls it a film that “reinvigorates an ancient adventure with majestic sweep.”
But the ripple effect of that success is now being felt by older adaptations. According to FlixPatrol, Coppola's 1997 The Odyssey is currently one of the most popular titles on the domestic iTunes chart. Originally aired as a two-part limited series on NBC, the project was produced on a reported $40 million budget—a fraction of Nolan's—and directed by acclaimed Russian filmmaker Andrei Konchalovsky, known for Hollywood hits like Runaway Train and Tango & Cash.
The miniseries stars Armand Assante as the wily Odysseus, with Greta Scacchi as his faithful wife Penelope. The cast also includes Isabella Rossellini as Athena, Geraldine Chaplin as Eurycleia, Vanessa Williams as Calypso, and Eric Roberts as Eurymachus. It holds a “Certified Fresh” 79% score on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics praise it as “an exhilarating, visually spectacular retelling” with a “brisk sense of adventure.”
This isn't the only Homeric adaptation getting a second wind. The 2004 film Troy, which Nolan nearly directed as his first large-scale project, has also surged in popularity on streaming platforms. Other notable takes on the epic include the 1954 film Ulysses starring Kirk Douglas, the recent The Return with Ralph Fiennes, and the Coen Brothers' quirky O Brother, Where Art Thou?
For fans looking to dive deeper into the world of The Odyssey, there's plenty to explore. Check out our analysis of how Nolan's film caps his lifelong obsessions, or our ranking of every mythological figure in the new movie. And if you're curious about earlier animated takes, read how one animated epic made the sea people truly terrifying.
Whether you're a fan of Nolan's blockbuster spectacle or Konchalovsky's more intimate TV epic, one thing is clear: Homer's ancient tale of adventure, monsters, and homecoming continues to captivate audiences more than 2,700 years after it was first told.
