All the teens and tweens out there who can't wait to see if our hero Odysseus ever makes it back to Ithaca are going to need an official grown-up in tow at the cinema. Christopher Nolan's latest grand-scale masterpiece, an adaptation of Homer's epic, "The Odyssey", has bagged an unexpected R rating from the Motion Picture Association. Now, the precise reasons behind this surprise designation are still shrouded in mystery (are we possibly looking at a little cyclops mayhem and some heavy-duty battle scenes?). Such a rating is a bit of a curveball for a summer blockbuster – filmmakers usually shoot for more generous PG-13 or PG ratings in order to draw the biggest crowd.

Nolan, though, has thrown us a cheeky googly before. Remember his previous opus, "Oppenheimer", which also carried an R rating and hit our screens right smack in the middle of summer? Well, it went on to bank a jaw-dropping almost $1 billion globally at the box office. Nolan's other summer special releases like "Inception", "Dunkirk", "Tenet" and the epic "Dark Knight" trilogy all managed to nab a PG-13 rating.

Universal, who was a partner with Nolan for "Oppenheimer", is taking on the distribution duties for "The Odyssey". Ticket holders, mark your calendars for July 17; a choice slot for the release echoing Nolan's previous summer successes. With a colossal budget tagging at $250 million, "The Odyssey” sure needs to lure in the audience. This extravagant price tag possibly sets a new record, topping chartbusters like the “Joker: Folie à Deux” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” as the priciest R-rated movie to date. The stellar cast (we're talking Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Anne Hathaway) along with the stupendous storytelling abilities of Nolan promises a cinematic feast.

Cinema exhibitors are confident that "The Odyssey" will be a summer sensation. IMAX 70mm screenings were up for grabs last year and got snapped up real fast. This Thursday, as soon as regular tickets went on sale, people had to wait their turn for online bookings, illustrating the movie buffs' keen anticipation for Nolan’s latest, following his Oscar-winning "Oppenheimer".