On the Aeolian island of Lipari, where volcanic rock meets the Tyrrhenian Sea, a film crew spent part of last summer recreating one of the oldest stories in the Western canon. Christopher Nolan chose this Sicilian outpost as the setting for Odysseus’s encounter with the sirens in his upcoming adaptation of the Odyssey, a project that has drawn intense scrutiny since it was announced. The production, which cost more than $250 million and hopscotched across Morocco, Greece, Iceland, and Scotland, is the director’s most expensive yet, and its casting choices—from Matt Damon as the hero to rapper Travis Scott as the bard Demodocus—have already stirred debate in Italian and international film circles.

While Nolan’s epic awaits its July release, another retelling of a life story has just rewritten the record books. The Michael Jackson biopic Michael has overtaken Nolan’s own Oppenheimer to become the highest-grossing biopic of all time, taking $977 million worldwide. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring the singer’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, has been a commercial juggernaut despite a chorus of critics who, according to British and American reviews, called it a ‘whitewash’ that sidesteps the abuse allegations against the star. Audiences, however, have ignored the critical reception: Jackson’s music has surged on streaming platforms, and the film has become Lionsgate’s most successful release, surpassing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Half a world away, Indian cinema is riding its own wave of star-driven box office returns. The slapstick comedy Welcome to the Jungle, fronted by Akshay Kumar and an ensemble of over 30 actors, is on track to cross Rs90 crore net in its first week in India, according to trade trackers. The film’s weekday numbers have held steady, buoyed by a ‘Blockbuster Tuesday’ discount scheme at multiplexes that pushed collections above the previous day. Meanwhile, the romantic drama Cocktail 2, starring Shahid Kapoor, has sailed past Rs1.34 billion in worldwide gross, with overseas markets contributing nearly Rs290 million. Industry analysts in Mumbai note that both films are benefiting from a post-pandemic hunger for theatrical comedies and romances that offer a respite from the darker, effects-heavy spectacles that dominated screens in recent years.

The global reach of Indian cinema is also on display in Japan, where Ranveer Singh’s spy thriller Dhurandhar is set to open on July 10. The film has already collected over Rs13 billion worldwide, and Singh recorded a personal video message inviting Japanese audiences to experience what he called ‘the biggest Indian movie of all time.’ Japan has become a crucial overseas territory for Indian blockbusters: the Telugu-language RRR remains the highest-grossing Indian film there, with earnings of ¥2.42 billion, and titles from Baahubali 2 to 3 Idiots have built a loyal following. Japanese box office analysts point to a growing appetite for the heightened emotion and action set-pieces of Indian cinema, a trend that Dhurandhar’s producers are betting will continue.

Back on Lipari, the sirens’ song has yet to be heard by audiences, but the island’s selection as a location already speaks to a broader cinematic impulse: the search for tangible, mythic landscapes in an age of digital production. Whether it is the ancient Mediterranean, the moonwalk, or a chaotic jungle farce, the summer’s most resonant films are those that promise a journey—geographical, emotional, or nostalgic. As Nolan’s crew packed up their equipment on the black-sand beaches, they left behind only the echo of a story that, like the King of Pop’s moonwalk, refuses to fade.