The Reading / Listening - 'The Odyssey' - Level 3

The new Christopher Nolan movie 'The Odyssey' has broken box office records across the world. The three-hour-long film made over $290,000 from just one cinema in London. The movie theatre had its highest three-day opening weekend in history. The previous weekend record was held by 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in 2017, with another Nolan-directed movie 'Oppenheimer' in third place. 'The Odyssey' is also doing well in the USA. It is the biggest domestic opening of the year for a non-animated film. The world's largest theatre operator AMC Entertainment reported high ticket sales. It had screenings at 2 am, 3 am, and 6 am in some cities to meet demand. Almost all seats were sold out.

'The Odyssey' is a 2026 action fantasy film. It was written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It is based on an epic 2,700-year-old poem written by the ancient Greek poet Homer. The story is about a Greek king called Odysseus. Viewers see his dangerous ten-year journey home after fighting in the Trojan War in around 1200 BC. On his travels, he meets many mythical creatures. The movie has a star-studded cast including Matt Damon and rapper Travis Scott. 'The Odyssey' has had many positive reviews. Nolan has also received a lot of praise. Movie expert David A. Gross said: "Nolan is the only filmmaker working today who could take an ancient story like this … and make it a pop culture event."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    'The Odyssey' - Level 0,  'The Odyssey' - Level 1   or  'The Odyssey' - Level 2

Sources
  • https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/the-odyssey-uk-ireland-box-office-1236816591/
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/19/business/media/the-odyssey-box-office-christopher-nolan.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/20/the-odyssey-box-office


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. MOVIES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about movies. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       movie / odyssey / box office / movie theatre / history / domestic / non-animated film /
       action / fantasy / epic / poem / journey / travels / mythical creatures / cast / praise
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. ODYSSEY: Students A strongly believe we should all go on a very long journey; Students B strongly believe not. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. JOURNEYS: Where would you go on a long journey? What would you do? Why? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.


Journeys...

Where

What To Do

Why

by bicycle

 

 

 

on foot

 

 

 

by train

 

 

 

by ship

 

 

 

by motorbike

 

 

 

by car

 

 

 
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. CINEMA: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "cinema". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. MOVIE GENRES: Rank these with your partner. Put the best movie genre at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Action
  • Fantasy
  • Historical
  • Comedy
  • Romance
  • Science fiction
  • Horror
  • Suspense

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. box office a. The best result ever.
      2. record (noun) b. In the same country.
      3. previous c. The number of people who want something.
      4. domestic d. Before this one.
      5. non-animated e. The number or value of things that are sold.
      6. sales f. The money a film makes from ticket sales.
      7.

demand (noun)

g.

Made with real people, not cartoons or animation.

    Paragraph 2

      8. based on h. Very long and about important or exciting events.
      9. epic i. Very old and from a long time ago.
      10. ancient j. Nice words that show you think someone or something is very good.
      11. journey k. Living things such as animals or imaginary beings.
      12. creatures l. A trip from one place to another.
      13. cast m. Made from or using another story, book, or true event.
      14.

praise

 n.

The actors in a film, play, or TV show.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The article says 'The Odyssey' is the biggest movie ever.     T / F
  2. One London cinema made $29 million in three days.     T / F
  3. Many people in the USA are going to see the movie.     T / F
  4. In some cities, people watched the movie in a cinema at 3 am.     T / F
  5. The movie is based on a poem that is over 2,500 years old.     T / F
  6. A character in the movie took ten years to go home after a war.     T / F
  7. The movie has had many negative reviews.     T / F
  8. The director made an old story into a modern pop culture event.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. broken
  2. just
  3. previous
  4. place
  5. almost
  6. epic
  7. journey
  8. mythical
  9. expert
  10. working
  1. only
  2. operating
  3. long
  4. trip
  5. position
  6. smashed
  7. specialist
  8. last
  9. legendary
  10. nearly

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. The three-hour-long film made
  2. a non-
  3. high ticket
  4. It had screenings
  5. Almost all seats were
  6. It is based on an epic
  7. fighting in the
  8. The movie has a star-
  9. Nolan has also received
  10. Nolan is the only filmmaker
  1. 2,700-year-old poem
  2. a lot of praise
  3. sold out
  4. Trojan War
  5. sales
  6. studded cast
  7. over $290,000
  8. at 2 am, 3 am, and 6 am
  9. working today
  10. animated film

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
held
domestic
seats
across
sales
place
opening
animated

The new Christopher Nolan movie 'The Odyssey' has broken box office records (1) ______________________________________________ the world. The three-hour-long film made over $290,000 from just one cinema in London. The movie theatre had its highest three-day (2) ______________________________________________ weekend in history. The previous weekend record was (3) ______________________________________________ by 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in 2017, with another Nolan-directed movie 'Oppenheimer' in third (4) ______________________________________________. 'The Odyssey' is also doing well in the USA. It is the biggest (5) ______________________________________________ opening of the year for a non- (6) ______________________________________________ film. The world's largest theatre operator AMC Entertainment reported high ticket (7) ______________________________________________. It had screenings at 2 am, 3 am, and 6 am in some cities to meet demand. Almost all (8) ______________________________________________ were sold out.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
ancient
praise
fantasy
event
creatures
based
journey
positive

'The Odyssey' is a 2026 action (9) ______________________________________________ film. It was written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It is (10) ______________________________________________ on an epic 2,700-year-old poem written by the (11) ______________________________________________ Greek poet Homer. The story is about a Greek king called Odysseus. Viewers see his dangerous ten-year (12) ______________________________________________ home after fighting in the Trojan War in around 1200 BC. On his travels, he meets many mythical (13) ______________________________________________. The movie has a star-studded cast including Matt Damon and rapper Travis Scott. 'The Odyssey' has had many (14) ______________________________________________ reviews. Nolan has also received a lot of (15) ______________________________________________. Movie expert David A. Gross said: "Nolan is the only filmmaker working today who could take an ancient story like this ... and make it a pop culture (16) ______________________________________________."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) 'The Odyssey' has broken box office records ______
     a.  across the world
     b.  a cross the world
     c.  cross the world
     d.  crossing the world
2)  The three-hour-long film made over $290,000 from ______
     a.  justly one cinema
     b.  just one cinema
     c.  just once cinema
     d.  adjust one cinema
3)  It is the biggest domestic opening of the year for a ______
     a.  non-animator film
     b.  now-animated film
     c.  non-animated film
     d.  non-animate it film
4)  The world's largest theatre operator AMC Entertainment reported ______
     a.  height ticket sales
     b.  high ticket sells
     c.  high ticket sale
     d.  high ticket sales
5)  in some cities to meet demand. Almost all seats ______
     a.  were sold out
     b.  were sells out
     c.  were told out
     d.  were sole doubt

6)  It is based on an epic 2,700-______
     a.  year-older poem
     b.  year-old poet
     c.  years-old poem
     d.  year-old poem
7)  On his travels, he meets ______
     a.  many mythical creature
     b.  many mythical creatures
     c.  many myth call creatures
     d.  many my ethical creatures
8)  The movie has a star-studded cast ______
     a.  inclusive Matt Damon
     b.  include din Matt Damon
     c.  include in Matt Damon
     d.  including Matt Damon
9)  'The Odyssey' has had many positive reviews. Nolan has also received a ______
     a.  lot of prize
     b.  lot of plays
     c.  lot of pries
     d.  lot of praise
10)  who could take an ancient story like this ... and make it a ______
     a.  pop culture events
     b.  pop culture event
     c.  poppy culture event
     d.  pops culture event

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The new Christopher Nolan movie 'The Odyssey' has broken box office records (1) __________________________________________________. The three-hour-long film made over $290,000 from just one cinema in London. The movie theatre had its highest three-day (2) __________________________________________________ history. The previous weekend record was held by 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in 2017, with another Nolan-directed movie 'Oppenheimer' (3) __________________________________________________. 'The Odyssey' is also doing well in the USA. It is the biggest domestic opening of the year for a (4) __________________________________________________. The world's largest theatre operator AMC Entertainment reported high ticket sales. It (5) __________________________________________________ 2 am, 3 am, and 6 am in some cities to meet demand. Almost all seats (6) __________________________________________________.

'The Odyssey' is a 2026 (7) __________________________________________________. It was written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It is based (8) __________________________________________________ 2,700-year-old poem written by the ancient Greek poet Homer. The story is about a Greek king called Odysseus. Viewers see his dangerous ten-year (9) __________________________________________________ fighting in the Trojan War in around 1200 BC. On his travels, he meets many mythical creatures. The movie (10) __________________________________________________-studded cast including Matt Damon and rapper Travis Scott. 'The Odyssey' has had many positive reviews. Nolan has also received a (11) __________________________________________________. Movie expert David A. Gross said: "Nolan is the only filmmaker working today who could take an ancient story like this ... and make it a (12) __________________________________________________."

Comprehension questions

  1. Where has the movie 'The Odyssey' broken box office records?
  2. How long is 'The Odyssey'?
  3. What Christopher Nolan movie is in third place?
  4. In which country is 'The Odyssey' doing well?
  5. What is the earliest screening of 'The Odyssey' in some cities?
  6. How old is the poem 'The Odyssey' is based on?
  7. What war did a king called Odysseus fight in?
  8. Who did Odysseus meet on his journey home?
  9. What kinds of reviews has the movie had?
  10. What did a movie expert say the movie was made into?

Multiple choice quiz

1)  Where has the movie 'The Odyssey' broken box office records?
a) in Greece
b) across the world
c) in Africa
d) in Australia
2)  How long is 'The Odyssey'?
a) 2 hours
b) 2 1/2 hours
c) 3 hours
d) 3 1/2 hours
3)  What Christopher Nolan movie is in third place?
a) Dunkirk
b) Interstellar
c) Inception
d) Oppenheimer
4)  In which country is 'The Odyssey' doing well?
a) the UAE
b) the USA
c) Greece
d) Japan
5)  What is the earliest screening of 'The Odyssey' in some cities?
a) 2 am
b) 4 am
c) 6 am
d) 8 am

6)  How old is the poem 'The Odyssey' is based on?
a) 2,700 years old
b) 2,600 years old
c) 2,500 years old
d) 2,200 years old
7)  What war did a king called Odysseus fight in?
a) WWI
b) the Greek War
c) the One-hundred Years War
d) the Trojan War
8)  Who did Odysseus meet on his journey home?
a) his family
b) his biggest enemy
c) mythical creatures
d) his long-lost friend
9)  What kinds of reviews has the movie had?
a) negative reviews
b) mixed reviews
c) five-star reviews
d) positive reviews
10)  What did a movie expert say the movie was made into?
a) a book
b) a pop culture event
c) a smash hit
d) a poem

Role play

Role  A – Action
You think action is the best movie genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their genres. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): fantasy, romance or science fiction.

Role  B – Fantasy
You think fantasy is the best movie genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their genres. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): action, romance or science fiction.

Role  C – Romance
You think romance is the best movie genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their genres. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): fantasy, action or science fiction.

Role  D – Science Fiction
You think science fiction is the best movie genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their genres. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): fantasy, romance or action.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'odyssey'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'movie'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • new
    • broken
    • highest
    • held
    • domestic
    • cities
    • based
    • king
    • viewers
    • travels
    • many
    • only

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - 'The Odyssey'

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'odyssey'?
    3. What do you know about the movie director Christopher Nolan?
    4. What are your favourite movies?
    5. Have you ever been on a long journey?
    6. What do you think of movie theatres?
    7. Are animated movies better than non-animated films?
    8. What are the good and bad things about cinemas?
    9. What is the best length of time for a movie?
    10. What long journey would you like to go on?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'movie'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you know about ancient Greek poetry?
    5. What do you think of poetry?
    6. Is it better to watch movies in cinemas or at home?
    7. What do you know about the Trojan War?
    8. What do you think of mythical creatures?
    9. Who are your favourite movie actors and directors?
    10. What questions would you like to ask Christopher Nolan?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    The new Christopher Nolan movie 'The Odyssey' has broken box office records (1) ____ the world. The three-hour-long film made over $290,000 from just one cinema in London. The movie theatre had its (2) ____ three-day opening weekend in history. The previous weekend record was (3) ____ by 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in 2017, with another Nolan-directed movie 'Oppenheimer' in third place. 'The Odyssey' is also doing (4) ____ in the USA. It is the biggest domestic opening of the year (5) ____ a non-animated film. The world's largest theatre operator AMC Entertainment reported high ticket sales. It had screenings at 2 am, 3 am, and 6 am in some cities to meet demand. Almost all seats were sold (6) ____.

    'The Odyssey' is a 2026 action fantasy film. It was (7) ____ and directed by Christopher Nolan. It is based (8) ____ an epic 2,700-year-old poem written by the ancient Greek poet Homer. The story is about a Greek king (9) ____ Odysseus. Viewers see his dangerous ten-year journey home after fighting in the Trojan War in around 1200 BC. On his travels, he meets (10) ____ mythical creatures. The movie has a star-studded cast including Matt Damon and rapper Travis Scott. 'The Odyssey' has had many positive (11) ____. Nolan has also received a lot of praise. Movie expert David A. Gross said: "Nolan is the only filmmaker working today who could take an ancient story like (12) ____... and make it a pop culture event."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     cross     (b)     crossing     (c)     abroad     (d)     across    
    2. (a)     highly     (b)     heighten     (c)     heights     (d)     highest    
    3. (a)     holding     (b)     held     (c)     hold     (d)     holds    
    4. (a)     good     (b)     goodness     (c)     well     (d)     wells    
    5. (a)     by     (b)     as     (c)     for     (d)     on    
    6. (a)     out     (b)     up     (c)     in     (d)     down    
    7. (a)     wrote     (b)     written     (c)     writing     (d)     writes    
    8. (a)     on     (b)     in     (c)     at     (d)     of    
    9. (a)     calls     (b)     called     (c)     calling     (d)     call    
    10. (a)     much     (b)     plenty     (c)     many     (d)     lots    
    11. (a)     reviewed     (b)     review     (c)     reviews     (d)     reviewer    
    12. (a)     epic     (b)     him     (c)     poem     (d)     this

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. the vuiespro weekend record
    2. the biggest emcoidts opening
    3. a non- eadnitma film
    4. the world's largest theatre eroortap
    5. It had csgsinreen at 2 am
    6. meet dendam

    Paragraph 2

    1. 'The Odyssey' is a 2026 action nyaatfs film
    2. It is ebdsa on an epic 2,700-year-old poem
    3. written by the inanect Greek poet Homer
    4. his dangerous ten-year rjeynou home
    5. he meets many tymahilc creatures
    6. received a lot of earisp

    Put the text back together

    (    )   'The Odyssey' is a 2026 action fantasy film. It was written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It is based
    (    )   1200 BC. On his travels, he meets many mythical creatures. The movie has a star-studded cast including
    (    )   animated film. The world's largest theatre operator AMC Entertainment reported high ticket
    (    )   by 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in 2017, with another Nolan-directed movie 'Oppenheimer' in third
    (    )   king called Odysseus. Viewers see his dangerous ten-year journey home after fighting in the Trojan War in around
    (    )   Matt Damon and rapper Travis Scott. 'The Odyssey' has had many positive reviews. Nolan has also received a lot
    (    )   of praise. Movie expert David A. Gross said: "Nolan is the only filmmaker working
    (    )   on an epic 2,700-year-old poem written by the ancient Greek poet Homer. The story is about a Greek
    (    )   place. 'The Odyssey' is also doing well in the USA. It is the biggest domestic opening of the year for a non-
    (    )   sales. It had screenings at 2 am, 3 am, and 6 am in some cities to meet demand. Almost all seats were sold out.
    (  1  )   The new Christopher Nolan movie 'The Odyssey' has broken box office records across the
    (    )   theatre had its highest three-day opening weekend in history. The previous weekend record was held
    (    )   today who could take an ancient story like this ... and make it a pop culture event."
    (    )   world. The three-hour-long film made over $290,000 from just one cinema in London. The movie

    Put the words in the right order

    1. across   box   broke   It   office   records   the   world   .
    2. history   highest   in   opening   The   three-day   weekend   .
    3. held   previous   record   'Star Wars'   The   was   weekend   .   by
    4. biggest   domestic   It's   of   opening   the   the   year   .
    5. all   Almost   of   out   seats   sold   the   were   .
    6. 2,700-year-old   an   based   epic   is   It   on   poem   .
    7. a   about   Greek   is   king   story   The   .
    8. creatures   he   his   many   meets   mythical   On   travels   .
    9. had   has   many   movie   positive   reviews   The   .
    10. a   ancient   event   into   pop-culture   story   Turn   an   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The new Christopher Nolan movie 'The Odyssey' has breaking / broken box office records across the world. The three-hour-long film made up / over $290,000 from just one cinema in London. The movie theatre had its highest / high three-day opening weekend on / in history. The previous weekend record was held at / by 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in 2017, with another / others Nolan-directed movie 'Oppenheimer' in third / thirdly place. 'The Odyssey' is also doing well in the USA. It is the biggest domestic opens / opening of the year for a non-animated film. The world's largest theatre operator AMC Entertainment reported high ticket sells / sales. It had screenings at 2 am, 3 am, and 6 am in some cities to meet demand. Almost all seats were sold out / in.

    'The Odyssey' is a 2026 action fantasy film. It was written / wrote and directed by Christopher Nolan. It is based on / of an epic 2,700-year-old poem written by the ancient Greek poet / poetry Homer. The story is about a Greek king name / called Odysseus. Viewers see his dangerous ten-year journey home after fighting on / in the Trojan War in around 1200 BC. On his travels, he meets many mythical / myths creatures. The movie has a star-studded cast / cost including Matt Damon and rapper Travis Scott. 'The Odyssey' has had many positive review / reviews. Nolan has also received a lot of praise. Movie expert David A. Gross said: "Nolan is the only filmmaker working today what / who could take an ancient story like this ... and make it a pop / bang culture event."

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    Th_  n_w  Chr_st_ph_r  N_l_n  m_v__  'Th_  _dyss_y'  h_s  br_k_n  b_x  _ff_c_  r_c_rds  _cr_ss  th_  w_rld.  Th_  thr__-h__r-l_ng  f_lm  m_d_  _v_r  $290,000  fr_m  j_st  _n_  c_n_m_  _n  L_nd_n.  Th_  m_v__  th__tr_  h_d  _ts  h_gh_st  thr__-d_y  _p_n_ng  w__k_nd  _n  h_st_ry.  Th_  pr_v___s  w__k_nd  r_c_rd  w_s  h_ld  by  'St_r  W_rs:  Th_  L_st  J_d_'  _n  2017,  w_th  _n_th_r  N_l_n-d_r_ct_d  m_v__  '_pp_nh__m_r'  _n  th_rd  pl_c_.  'Th_  _dyss_y'  _s  _ls_  d__ng  w_ll  _n  th_  _S_.  _t  _s  th_  b_gg_st  d_m_st_c  _p_n_ng  _f  th_  y__r  f_r  _  n_n-_n_m_t_d  f_lm.  Th_  w_rld's  l_rg_st  th__tr_  _p_r_t_r  _MC  _nt_rt__nm_nt  r_p_rt_d  h_gh  t_ck_t  s_l_s.  _t  h_d  scr__n_ngs  _t  2  _m,  3  _m,  _nd  6  _m  _n  s_m_  c_t__s  t_  m__t  d_m_nd.  _lm_st  _ll  s__ts  w_r_  s_ld  __t.

    'Th_  _dyss_y'  _s  _  2026  _ct__n  f_nt_sy  f_lm.  _t  w_s  wr_tt_n  _nd  d_r_ct_d  by  Chr_st_ph_r  N_l_n.  _t  _s  b_s_d  _n  _n  _p_c  2,700-y__r-_ld  p__m  wr_tt_n  by  th_  _nc__nt  Gr__k  p__t  H_m_r.  Th_  st_ry  _s  _b__t  _  Gr__k  k_ng  c_ll_d  _dyss__s.  V__w_rs  s__  h_s  d_ng_r__s  t_n-y__r  j__rn_y  h_m_  _ft_r  f_ght_ng  _n  th_  Tr_j_n  W_r  _n  _r__nd  1200  BC.  _n  h_s  tr_v_ls,  h_  m__ts  m_ny  myth_c_l  cr__t_r_s.  Th_  m_v__  h_s  _  st_r-st_dd_d  c_st  _ncl_d_ng  M_tt  D_m_n  _nd  r_pp_r  Tr_v_s  Sc_tt.  'Th_  _dyss_y'  h_s  h_d  m_ny  p_s_t_v_  r_v__ws.  N_l_n  h_s  _ls_  r_c__v_d  _  l_t  _f  pr__s_.  M_v__  _xp_rt  D_v_d  _.  Gr_ss  s__d:  "N_l_n  _s  th_  _nly  f_lmm_k_r  w_rk_ng  t_d_y  wh_  c__ld  t_k_  _n  _nc__nt  st_ry  l_k_  th_s  ...  _nd  m_k_  _t  _  p_p  c_lt_r_  _v_nt."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the new christopher nolan movie the odyssey has broken box office records across the world the threehourlong film made over 290000 from just one cinema in london the movie theatre had its highest threeday opening weekend in history the previous weekend record was held by star wars the last jedi in 2017 with another nolandirected movie oppenheimer in third place the odyssey is also doing well in the usa it is the biggest domestic opening of the year for a nonanimated film the worlds largest theatre operator amc entertainment reported high ticket sales it had screenings at 2 am 3 am and 6 am in some cities to meet demand almost all seats were sold out

    the odyssey is a 2026 action fantasy film it was written and directed by christopher nolan it is based on an epic 2700yearold poem written by the ancient greek poet homer the story is about a greek king called odysseus viewers see his dangerous tenyear journey home after fighting in the trojan war in around 1200 bc on his travels he meets many mythical creatures the movie has a starstudded cast including matt damon and rapper travis scott the odyssey has had many positive reviews nolan has also received a lot of praise movie expert david a gross said nolan is the only filmmaker working today who could take an ancient story like this and make it a pop culture event

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    ThenewChristopherNolanmovie'TheOdyssey'hasbrokenboxofficere
    cordsacrosstheworld.Thethree-hour-longfilmmadeover$290,000fr
    omjustonecinemainLondon.Themovietheatrehaditshighestthree-d
    ayopeningweekendinhistory.Thepreviousweekendrecordwasheldby
    'StarWars:TheLastJedi'in2017,withanotherNolan-directedmovie'Op
    penheimer'inthirdplace.'TheOdyssey'isalsodoingwellintheUSA.Itist
    hebiggestdomesticopeningoftheyearforanon-animatedfilm.Theworl
    d'slargesttheatreoperatorAMCEntertainmentreportedhighticketsale
    s.Ithadscreeningsat2am,3am,and6aminsomecitiestomeetdemand.
    Almostallseatsweresoldout.'TheOdyssey'isa2026actionfantasyfilm.
    ItwaswrittenanddirectedbyChristopherNolan.Itisbasedonanepic2,7
    00-year-oldpoemwrittenbytheancientGreekpoetHomer.Thestoryisa
    boutaGreekkingcalledOdysseus.Viewersseehisdangerousten-yearj
    ourneyhomeafterfightingintheTrojanWarinaround1200BC.Onhistra
    vels,hemeetsmanymythicalcreatures.Themoviehasastar-studdedc
    astincludingMattDamonandrapperTravisScott.'TheOdyssey'hashad
    manypositivereviews.Nolanhasalsoreceivedalotofpraise.Movieexpe
    rtDavidA.Grosssaid:"Nolanistheonlyfilmmakerworkingtodaywhoco
    uldtakeanancientstorylikethis...andmakeitapopcultureevent."

    Free writing

    Write about movies for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Non-animated movies are better than animated movies. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. THE ODYSSEY: Make a poster about 'The Odyssey'. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. ODYSSEYS: Write a magazine article about all of us going on long very journeys. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on The Odyssey. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your thoughts on ancient poems. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

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    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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