Christopher Nolan‘s box office journey with The Odyssey looks to be one for the books, as Universal Pictures‘ star-studded adaptation of the classical Greek mythological tale gets off to a rousing start in its opening weekend.
Starring Matt Damon as the heroic Odysseus, the epic feature is fending off competition with $51.2 million on Friday from 3,900 North American screens, including Thursday previews. Earning an A CinemaScore from audiences, the film is eyeing a $120 million-plus frame, which would make it 2026’s biggest live-action opening, with only Toy Story 5 ($159 million) and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($131 million) debuting above it. The Odyssey is also set to claim the top R-rated opening of the year and Universal’s highest weekend launch ever for an R-rated movie.
Globally, The Odyssey appears headed for $257.8 million for the summer weekend, with $137.3 million from 73 international markets.
This marks an even stronger start than initially projected for the film that carries a production budget of $250 million, as the studio was targeting a domestic opening in the range of mid-$80 million to upwards of $100 million. Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron star in the story of Odysseus (Damon) on his tumultuous trip home after the Trojan War to reclaim his throne as the king of Ithaca and reunite with his wife Penelope (Hathaway). Nolan and Emma Thomas produce for Syncopy.
It looks to notch the third-biggest opening weekend domestically of Nolan’s impressive career and the best outside of the Batman franchise, behind 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises with $160 million and 2008’s The Dark Knight at $158 million. The Odyssey is also set to become the biggest global opening for Nolan, topping The Dark Knight Rises’ $249 million worldwide launch.
The Odyssey is the weekend’s sole new offering in wide release, unlike the filmmaker’s most recent title, Oppenheimer, which opened in July 2023 alongside Barbie as part of the sensation known as Barbenheimer. The film about the physicist who led development of the atomic bomb opened to $82.4 million domestically and ultimately collected $975 million worldwide, along with winning seven Academy Awards, including best picture and Nolan’s first best director Oscar.
Nolan’s successful ride with The Odyssey includes sterling reviews, as its 95 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes is currently the best tally of his career, just ahead of The Dark Knight and Memento at 94 percent. The Odyssey is also “verified hot,” with a 97 percent Rotten Tomatoes score from audiences. In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, chief film critic David Rooney deemed it “a meditative action movie both immense and intimate, albeit one whose flow is impeded by the inherently episodic nature of the nonlinear source material and some questionable casting choices.” Additionally, THR’s list ranking Nolan’s movies places The Odyssey in second place, behind only The Dark Knight.
The Odyssey made headlines as the first feature to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras. Premium large formats have been a priority for many moviegoers, and cinephiles have flocked to the 25 U.S. theaters that screen IMAX 70mm film.
The sophomore frame for Disney’s live-action Moana is set to dock in second place. After a disappointing opening, the Dwayne Johnson-led feature is heading for $5.8 million Friday and roughly $19 million domestically for the weekend, with a decline of around 56 percent.
Illumination’s Minions & Monsters and Disney’s Toy Story 5 are in close competition for No. 3 on the chart. As the latest title in Universal’s Despicable Me franchise, Minions & Monsters looks to pick up $4.2 million Friday for a third weekend of $14 million. Meanwhile, the latest installment in the popular Toy Story series is also lassoing roughly $4.2 million Friday for around $13.8 million in its fifth frame.
Closing out the top five is Warner Bros.’ Evil Dead Burn, the latest entry in the Evil Dead horror franchise. After its opening sum last weekend was well behind the debut for 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, Evil Dead Burn is expected to gross $4.7 million this weekend, declining around 66 percent.
Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina presents potential competition for moviegoing, particularly among international audiences. In a rare summer occurrence, next weekend is devoid of new wide releases as studios appeared reticent to date any titles in between The Odyssey and Sony’s July 31 release for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, starring Holland and Zendaya.
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