Breaking and not paying: The scandal behind the summer's biggest blockbuster
"The Odyssey" is breaking box office records worldwide. A Swedish non-profit organization claims that a ship loaned to the production was returned with severe damage. The organization is waiting for payment for the repair: "Universal can afford it." Universal claims: "All invoices have been paid."
"The Odyssey," directed by Christopher Nolan, is the most talked-about film in the world over the last two weeks. The star-studded epic, which cost about $250 million, is breaking box office records worldwide with earnings of $264 million in the first weekend alone and is receiving excellent reviews — but there are those who are less satisfied.
The Viking ship "Glad av Gillberga," a replica of a shipwreck found in the Roskilde Fjord in Denmark dating back to approximately 1040, sailed for nearly three decades across the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and reached as far as Canada while remaining intact and well-preserved. However, just half a year in the hands of the massive production by Universal Studios caused it severe damage.
The producers of "The Odyssey" did commit to covering any necessary repairs, but the owners of the ship — a non-profit organization named "Vikingalden" from Värmland in western Sweden — received back a ship different from the one they handed over to the production.
According to a report in the British "Guardian," the ship sustained significant damage to its stern and mast. Even though the organization sent an invoice for the damages to the studio, the payment of $6,000 has still not arrived — a year after the end of filming.
Peter Olausson, chairman of "Vikingalden," claimed that alongside the pride that the company's ship appeared in the massive film, he feels a sense of injustice in light of the film giant's failure to meet its obligations:
"We are charging money solely for the materials, and not for the work itself. Universal can obviously afford these $6,000. We feel that we have been forgotten."
The ship has already returned to regular operation, but Olausson accuses the studio of going back on its promise: "The agreement was that we would repair it and be compensated financially." He added that while the amount is small for Universal, for the organization, which has 200 members and operates a Viking "village" and a museum, it is a significant sum.
The acclaimed film is based on Homer's ancient Greek epic about the King of Ithaca, Odysseus, and his 10-year sea voyage home from the Trojan War. The "Glad av Gillberga" was used in the film as one of the escort ships in the fleet, which were considered similar to Nordic Viking ships.
The central ship, Odysseus's vessel, was the "Draken Harald Hårfagre" — a 35-meter-long Norwegian replica. Björn Ahlander, the Swedish captain of the central ship, told the broadcaster SVT that the lives of the 30 crew members during the six months of filming were not easy:
"We rebuilt the ship into an ancient Greek ship. We removed the tents and all the modern things, and we had an open deck that we lived on during this time. It was quite tough."
A spokesperson for Universal responded to the accusations and claimed: "According to our records, all invoices regarding the Glad av Gillberga have been paid in full, including repairs. The studio and the production have contacted the non-profit to clear up the misunderstandings."
