{"id":4050,"date":"2026-07-22T13:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T13:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=4050"},"modified":"2026-07-22T13:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T13:07:10","slug":"the-odyssey-proves-it-audiences-want-movies-made-the-hard-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=4050","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Odyssey\u2019 Proves It: Audiences Want Movies Made the Hard Way"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tAudiences in 2026 are sending a clear message to filmmakers: We want movies to look real \u2014 and for you to sweat while making them.<\/p>\n

Read more Zoe Salda\u00f1a Boards Short Film on Palestinian Womanhood, \u2018It\u2019s Complicated,\u2019 as Executive Producer (Exclusive)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThe most exciting box office hits so far this year have been projects that emphasized analog filmmaking and had directors going the extra mile to create original cinematic worlds that felt grounded and tactile.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, several disappointing franchise films \u2014 projects with the wind at their backs thanks to built-in audiences \u2014 were criticized for looking overtly artificial.<\/p>\n

\nThe Odyssey<\/em> ($264\u202fmillion and counting), Project Hail Mary<\/em> ($683\u202fmillion), Backrooms<\/em> ($384\u202fmillion) and Obsession<\/em> ($442\u202fmillion) not only heavily relied on practical effects but communicated their old-school moviemaking efforts in their marketing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nProject Hail Mary<\/em> directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller went viral for touting their lack of green screens and use of puppetry (there was also plenty of CG, to be sure). Christopher Nolan and his Odyssey <\/em>cast have spoken extensively about their herculean efforts to film at tough-to-reach real-world locations, and the director refused to use CG set extensions (any other filmmaker would have been hugely tempted to use CG to make Ithaca look more populated and sprawling, for example).<\/p>\n

\n\tEven with a modest $10 million budget, the Backrooms <\/em>team built extensive physical sets and used practical effects whenever possible. And when Curry Barker made Obsession<\/em> for just $750,000, he had to figure out practical ways of pulling off scares by necessity, if not also by preference.<\/p>\n

\n\tNolan has said, \u201cI definitely hit the limits of my own stamina and everybody\u2019s stamina. I\u202fmean, it\u2019s The Odyssey<\/em>, of course it should be difficult. We\u2019re not doing the job right making a film of The Odyssey<\/em> if it doesn\u2019t seem difficult.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut perhaps Nolan was, for once, thinking too narrowly. The real lesson here might be: All filmmaking should be difficult if you want to persuade audiences to leave their homes and trek to a theater. Particularly in the wake of Disney+\u2019s Star Wars<\/em> and Marvel TV shows, making yet another franchise movie shot on a volume stage feels more like a streaming-channel level of effort than \u201cbuy\u202fan Imax ticket\u201d effort.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s probably not a coincidence that audiences are responding to practicality the same year AI slop has become so widely derided. The trailers for box office disappointments Masters of the Universe<\/em>, Supergirl<\/em>, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/em> and Moana<\/em> all notably looked, well, a bit fakey.<\/p>\n

\nSupergirl<\/em> was derided for its effects and action slop. Moana <\/em>was supposed to be a live-action remake, but could you even tell? In the wake of Project Hail Mary<\/em>\u2019s practical effects headlines, the team behind The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/em> put out a \u201cHey, we did that, too!\u201d video touting the Star Wars<\/em> film\u2019s practical puppet work, but the movie\u2019s trailers and clips looked slathered in CG glaze. <\/p>\n

Read more Elon Musk Says Grok Will Make Feature-Length, AI-Generated and \u201cHistorically Accurate\u201d \u2018The Odyssey\u2019 Movie Before the Year Ends<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tMoviegoers will break box office records to see Avengers: Doomsday<\/em>, yet even that highly anticipated film\u2019s trailer released July\u202f20 is being criticized as looking like the actors were trapped on a soundstage. (One viral Reddit comment asked: \u201cIs anyone else concerned how \u2018filmed in a cupboard\u2019 this looks?\u201d while an influencer opined, \u201c[The superhero genre] is supposed to be all about spectacle, and this no longer counts as spectacle\u201d)<\/p>\n

\n\tIt used to be that only cinephiles cared how a movie was made. But in our authenticity era \u2014 when anybody can create a short AI film by typing prompts \u2014 the story behind the film\u2019s creation is gaining value. This is especially true when that story conveys some real sweat equity (such as A-list actors hiking 45 minutes up a hill every day to reach an Italian fortress to shoot The Odyssey<\/em>).<\/p>\n

\n\tTo some extent, audiences have always loved tales of Hollywood creatives suffering for their art. David Lean shooting Lawrence of Arabia <\/em>almost entirely on location in the unforgiving deserts of Jordan, Morocco and Spain. Steven\u202fSpielberg nearly killing himself \u2014 and nearly getting fired \u2014 to make Jaws<\/em>. James Cameron risking ruin to go big with Titanic<\/em>. But those production tales were appreciated after those movies were a success. Now you have to tell a compelling story \u2014 and<\/em> tell a compelling story about telling your story.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe other side of this coin is the refreshing surge in popularity of nonfranchise movies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLast year, 12 of the top 13 movies at the domestic box office were titles based on existing IP \u2014 franchise movies, sequels, video game adaptations and the like (Sinners<\/em> was the only exception). <\/p>\n

\n\tWhat an incredible turn of events this year. So far, five of the top 10 movies at the domestic box office are nonfranchise titles \u2014 and The Odyssey<\/em> will quickly join those ranks.<\/p>\n

\n\tDeclaring Hollywood trends is a perilous business. Every movie\u2019s success is a combination of factors, and just when you\u2019re certain that there\u2019s been real change, things tend to revert to the norm. Is the superhero fatigue virus really mutating into franchise fatigue? Too soon to say.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut the tea leaves, as best they can be read, seem pretty clear: Moviegoers will show up in droves for compelling nonfranchise stories from passionate filmmakers who can give audiences a feeling of handcrafted reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThis story appeared in the July 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.\u00a0Click here to subscribe.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Could Tilly Norwood Ever Be Eligible for a BAFTA? New Film Awards Rules Are Firm \u2014\u00a0No<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year's breakouts like 'Project Hail Mary' and 'Obsession' have were made by filmmakers who sweated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[119],"class_list":["post-4050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-the-odyssey"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018The Odyssey\u2019 Proves It: Audiences Want Movies Made the Hard Way - US Property Moves<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=4050\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018The Odyssey\u2019 Proves It: Audiences Want Movies Made the Hard Way - 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