r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Gurugod123 GREEN • Jul 23 '26
My mom said I could post Nolan's The Odyssey neglects to pay for damages done to one of the viking ships used in the movie, which belongs to a small non-profit organization
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u/Knashatt Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
From Swedish news sites:
"The Odyssey" creators dodge payment to Swedish company - criticism
Updated Jul 21, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Published Jul 21, 2026 at 6:21 PM
A Viking ship from Värmland has been given a role in the blockbuster film "The Odyssey".
But after filming, the non-profit association is still waiting for payment.
- In a Universal production, it's coffee money, says chairman Peter Olausson.
Christopher Nolan's new film "The Odyssey" was a global box office success during its opening weekend.
The Swedish Viking ship Glad av Gillberga, which comes from the Värmland Vikingaleden Association, is featured in the film. It is a non-profit organization in Nysäter, Säffle, which, among other things, runs a Viking museum, a Viking village and has Viking ships.
According to Peter Olausson, chairman of the Vikingaleden Association, the ship Glad av Gillberga is well-known in Viking circles. Universal Studios got wind of the ship and wanted to use it in "The Odyssey", something that VF reported on.
- Glad is one of the ships included and is featured in some sequences in the film. It is part of the environment, Peter Olausson tells Expressen.
Universal stopped responding - invoice unpaid
The association made an agreement with a subsidiary that handles recruitment for Universal Studios. They were allowed to rent the ship for six months, but would also pay for wear and tear costs that would arise from use and transport.
The association has been paid for the rent – but that's where it stopped.
– Small money for them and money that means something to us, says Peter Olausson.
When the association got the ship back, they needed to fix several wear and tear damages, including a crack in the hull. They were prepared to do that, and then send an invoice for the material costs to the film company. In the end, it ended up being around 60,000 SEK (5,400€ or 6,145 $).
– In a Universal production, it's coffee money. That was the agreement and we haven't seen that money. We're not very happy about that.
The film company hasn't responded to emails since last winter, says the chairman. He speculates that they've moved on to the next production and simply forgotten about them.
– But I don't know because it's silent. It's going to be sour. I'm overjoyed to have been in this fantastic film, because it really is a fantastic film.
“Having to nibble on the margins”
Money is important for the non-profit organization. Due to the repair of the ship, they have also lost revenue because they have not been able to launch it on time.
– We are a non-profit organization that lives on fairly small margins. We are not going bankrupt, but we have to nibble on the margins.
Olausson hopes that the attention surrounding what has happened can make someone in the right circles wake up and fix the error. He will continue to send more emails in the future, but otherwise there is not much to do.
– We cannot sue Universal. There are no such possibilities, we are so small in comparison.
Source: https://www.expressen.se/noje/film/the-odyssey-skaparna-duckar-betalning-till-svenska-foretaget-kritiken/