The Odyssey Before Matt Damon: How George Clooney, Sean Bean & Ralph Fiennes’ Odysseus Films Performed At The Worldwide Box Office

Find out about the films where George Clooney, Sean Bean & Ralph Fiennes played Odysseus before Matt Damon’s The Odyssey and what they earned worldwide.

- May 19, 2026 | 12:35 PM IST

The Odysseus Films Worldwide Box Office(Photo Credit –Instagram)

Besides Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Doomsday, Tom Cruise’s Digger, and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three, Christopher Nolan’s latest directorial effort, The Odyssey, is one of the most highly anticipated films of 2026. Starring Matt Damon in the lead role, the epic fantasy action film is set to hit theaters on July 17, 2026, two weeks before the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31). Its star-studded cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron.

As many of you may already know, the upcoming film is a big-screen adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic, The Odyssey, and Matt Damon has essayed the lead role of the Greek king of Ithaca, Odysseus. But some of you might not be aware that the same character has also been played before by George Clooney, Sean Bean & Ralph Fiennes, among others. Keep scrolling to find out which films these are and what they earned at the worldwide box office.

Films Starring George Clooney, Sean Bean & Ralph Fiennes As Odysseus

George Clooney starred in the Coen Brothers’ comedy-drama O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), a modern satire loosely based on the Greek poem The Odyssey. The veteran Hollywood actor played Ulysses Everett McGill, who was based on Odysseus.

Later, in the 2004 historical action film Troy, which featured Brad Pitt in the lead, Sean Bean portrayed Odysseus, King of Ithaca. And in the 2024 drama The Return, Ralph Fiennes starred as Odysseus.

Now, let’s take a look at what these three films earned at the global box office, according to Box Office Mojo data.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000): $71.9 million
Troy (2004): $497.4 million
The Return (2024): $3.7 million

What The Numbers Indicate

Based on the figures above, the highest-grossing film featuring Odysseus was Troy, which grossed $497.4 million worldwide. Considering Christopher Nolan’s box office track record and the presence of a star-studded cast, it seems likely that The Odyssey will be able to comfortably surpass this figure. That said, we should still wait for the final verdict, which will become clear after its theatrical release on July 17, 2026.

What’s The Odyssey All About?

In the action fantasy film, Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, a battle-hardened Greek hero struggling to return home after the Trojan War. His long journey is filled with monsters, gods, and moral dilemmas, while his family waits years for his return, not sure if he is even alive.