The Odyssey opens with $264.1 million worldwide for Nolan’s biggest debut since 2012
Christopher Nolan’s Homer adaptation beat Oppenheimer’s opening and gave IMAX its strongest weekend on record, according to box office estimates.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” opened to an estimated $124.5 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters and $139.6 million overseas, giving the filmmaker his strongest launch since “The Dark Knight Rises” in 2012. The debut also surpassed the opening of Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” underscoring his pull at a box office increasingly driven by known franchises.
Rentrak said “The Odyssey” easily led the domestic weekend, with final figures due Monday. The Universal release adapts Homer’s ancient epic and arrived with a reported $250 million production budget, making it one of the costliest R-rated films, along with about $125 million in marketing spending by Universal.
Nolan’s last film, “Oppenheimer,” won best picture and finished with $975 million worldwide. Universal’s domestic distribution chief Jim Orr said the studio saw strong theater excitement over the weekend and described the film as a large-scale adventure that audiences embraced.
IMAX plays a central role
IMAX said premium-format demand drove a major share of the opening. The company reported $29.6 million in domestic IMAX ticket sales and $51.8 million globally, its best weekend on record.
“The Odyssey” was billed as Nolan’s first feature shot entirely with IMAX cameras. IMAX said it is giving all of its screens to the film for three weeks, while only 41 locations can show it in 70 mm IMAX; those 70 mm screenings generated $6.3 million.
IMAX chief executive Rich Gelfond said demand extended beyond opening weekend, with some fifth-week showtimes already sold out. He also said second-weekend presales would rank among IMAX’s 10 best, and that most 70 mm IMAX screenings are largely sold out for the next month except for some front-row seats.
The film faced no new wide-release competition during its first weekend and is not set to face one next weekend. According to Rentrak, the summer box office is running 10.4% ahead of last year, and the industry is looking for its first $10 billion domestic year since the pandemic.
Audience and competition
Rentrak’s Paul Dergarabedian said Nolan and Tom Cruise are among the most visible advocates for theatrical moviegoing, and described Nolan as a director with star-level drawing power. Universal said the audience for “The Odyssey” was 59% male, though Orr said attendance was broad across age groups and markets.
The cast includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Zendaya as Athena, Robert Pattinson as Antinous and Charlize Theron as Calypso. The casting drew criticism from some conservative commentators, including Elon Musk, who criticized Nolan over Lupita Nyong’o’s role as Helen. The film also features Elliot Page as a soldier.
Rotten Tomatoes listed reviews at 95% fresh, and CinemaScore said audiences gave the movie an “A.” The next film expected to offer major competition is Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” starring Holland and Zendaya, on July 31.
Disney’s “Moana” placed second with $19 million in its third weekend, according to Rentrak. The live-action remake has made $178 million worldwide in two weeks after a $43 million opening and a 56% second-weekend drop, against a $250 million production cost.
Rentrak listed the weekend’s top domestic films as:
- “The Odyssey,” $124.5 million.
- “Moana,” $19 million.
- “Minions & Monsters,” $14.8 million.
- “Toy Story 5,” $14.8 million.
- “Evil Dead Burn,” $5 million.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.