Odyssey: $124M Opening in Box Office Triumph

Chris Nolan’s mythological epic revitalized the summer box office with this year’s biggest live-action debut and the filmmaker’s highest-grossing global launch.

Matt Damon is Odysseus in The Odyssey — Matt Damon in ‘The Odyssey.’ Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures

The Odyssey led the summer to major box office victory, as the industry at large celebrates the commanding opening weekend for the Universal epic.

The retelling of classical Greek mythology got the box office back on track, scoring $124.5 million on 3,900 North American screens.

Earning an A CinemaScore from audiences, the film sailed away to 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 also claimed the top R-rated opening of the year and Universal’s highest weekend launch ever for an R-rated movie.

This counts as even stronger start than projected for The Odyssey, which has a production budget of $250 million, as the studio was targeting a domestic opening in the mid-$80 million to $100 million range.

It tells 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.

The adaptation of Greek poet Homer’s sprawling work skewed male: men made up 56 percent of the general audience and counted more than three-quarters of ticket buyers among those above age 25.

Half of the film’s audience fell between the ages of 18 and 34.

With The Odyssey marking the first feature to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras, premium large formats have been a priority for many moviegoers, and cinephiles flocked to the 25 U.S. theaters that screen IMAX 70mm film.

The title pulled $29.6 million from IMAX screens domestically for 23.8 percent of its North American haul, with an additional $22.2 million from IMAX showings internationally. PLFs of all brands accounted for 53 percent of the domestic total.

This movie looks to notch the third-biggest opening weekend domestically of Nolan’s impressive career and the best outside of the Batman franchise, behind The Dark Knight Rises with $160 million and 2008’s The Dark Knight at $158 million.

No Barbenheimer

The Odyssey was 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 phenomenon known as Barbenheimer.

The film about the physicist who led the development of the atomic bomb opened to $82.4 million domestically and ultimately collected $975 million worldwide, and it won seven Academy Awards, including best picture and Nolan’s first best director Oscar.

Nolan’s successful ride with The Odyssey was bolstered with rave reviews, as its 95 percent approval rating from critics on RT makes it 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.

Hollywood breathes a sigh of relief after a few rocky recent weeks, including last weekend’s disappointing opening for Disney’s live-action Moana that followed underperforming debuts for Supergirl and Minions & Monsters. The Dwayne Johnson-led Moana docked in second place for sophomore frame, scooping up $19 million domestically with decline around 56 percent for a two-week run of $82.1 million in North America.

Illumination’s Minions & Monsters and Disney’s Toy Story 5 are in close competition for No. 3. As the latest title in Universal’s Despicable Me franchise, Minions & Monsters picked up $14.8 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic haul to $136 million. Meanwhile, the newest installment in the popular Toy Story series also lassoed $14.8 million in its fifth frame for a domestic sum of $430.9 million and now stands as the year’s top domestic release, sliding past The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Toy Story 5 nears the billion-dollar mark globally with a worldwide cume at $958.4 million.

Closing out the top five is Warner’s Evil Dead Burn, the latest entry in the Evil Dead horror franchise. After its opening sum last weekend was well behind the debut of 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, Evil Dead Burn grossed around $5 million this weekend, declining around 66 percent for a two-week domestic total at $24.1 million.

In summer rarity, next weekend is without new wide releases, as studios skipped the chance to date any titles between The Odyssey and Sony’s anticipated July 31 release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, also starring Holland and Zendaya.

Odyssey, The: Box Office Triumph–Globally

Odyssey: $124M Opening in Box Office Triumph

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