A poem written nearly three thousand years ago is suddenly the hottest ticket in America. The Odyssey dominates the weekend box office, taking No. 1 with an estimated $124.5 million from 3,919 theaters and giving Christopher Nolan his best domestic launch since The Dark Knight Rises opened to $160 million in 2012.
For the year, only Toy Story 5 ($159 million) and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($131 million) got off to faster domestic starts. The international numbers might be even more impressive, with the R-rated epic collecting $139.6 million from 73 markets. Put the two together and you get a $264.1 million global debut, the largest of Nolan‘s career, topping the launches of The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises and Oppenheimer.
The Odyssey Dominates With Star Power
The film brings Homer’s ancient tale to the screen, following Odysseus, king of Ithaca, on his treacherous voyage home from the Trojan War. Matt Damon stars, and the cast around him reads like an awards-season wish list: Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal and John Leguizamo.
Moviegoers clearly wanted the full spectacle. As The Odyssey rules the box office, premium large-format screens delivered 53% of the domestic total, and IMAX by itself accounted for 23%. That’s no accident. Nolan shot every frame with IMAX cameras, a first for a feature film.
Universal needed this one to land. The production reportedly ran $250 million, with another $125 million or so spent on global marketing. Between Nolan‘s famously loyal audience, strong word of mouth and premium screenings selling out, the movie appears to have the legs to get there.
While The Odyssey Wins The Weekend, Moana Sinks
Second place went to Disney’s live-action Moana, and the news wasn’t good. The remake tumbled 56% in its sophomore frame to $19 million, bringing its totals to $82 million domestic and $178 million worldwide. Against a reported $250 million budget, that’s a problem. And as The Odyssey dominates the premium screens, the path forward only gets tougher.
Two Films, One Third Place
Call it a family-movie dead heat. Minions and Monsters and Toy Story 5 each grossed $14.8 million to share third place. The Despicable Me spinoff eased 34% and now stands at $137 million domestic, $323 million worldwide. Its $85 million price tag means Universal and Illumination should come out ahead comfortably.
Toy Story 5, meanwhile, dropped a slim 27%, the best hold of any film in the top five. With $430 million domestic and $958 million worldwide in the bank, Woody and Buzz will blast past $1 billion any day now. The franchise record, held by Toy Story 4 at roughly $1.07 billion, is suddenly within reach.
The Odyssey Takes No. 1 As Evil Dead Burn Hangs On
Rounding out the top five, Evil Dead Burn scared up approximately $5.5 million in its second weekend after a $13.7 million start. The horror sequel hasn’t broken out, but with just $20 million on the budget line, it doesn’t have nearly as far to climb as Moana or Supergirl.
Still, this weekend belonged to one movie. The Odyssey dominates the conversation, tops the box office, and reminds everyone that Christopher Nolan‘s name above the title remains one of the most bankable forces in movies.
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