Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey delivered a major victory for the summer box office. The Universal Pictures epic exceeded expectations and gave the industry a commanding opening weekend.
A Record-Setting Domestic Debut
The retelling of classical Greek mythology earned $124.5 million from 3,900 North American theaters. Audiences gave the film an A CinemaScore.
The result marks the biggest live-action opening of 2026. Only Toy Story 5, with $159 million, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, with $131 million, opened higher.
The Odyssey also scored the year’s biggest opening for an R-rated film. It delivered Universal’s highest opening weekend ever for an R-rated release.
Nolan Sets a New Global Record
Worldwide, The Odyssey opened with $264.1 million. That total includes $139.6 million from 73 international markets.
The launch marks the biggest worldwide opening of Nolan’s career. It surpassed the $249 million global debut of The Dark Knight Rises in 2012.
The performance came in well above initial projections. Universal had targeted a domestic opening between the mid-$80 million range and $100 million.
The film carries a production budget of $250 million. Its strong launch gives the expensive epic an important early boost.
An All-Star Cast Takes on Homer
Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, who faces a turbulent journey home after the Trojan War. He must reclaim his throne as king of Ithaca and reunite with his wife, Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway.
Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron also star. Nolan and Emma Thomas produced the film through Syncopy.
Younger Men Drive Ticket Sales
The adaptation of Greek poet Homer’s sprawling work attracted a largely male audience. Men accounted for 56 percent of general ticket buyers.
Men also represented more than three-quarters of ticket buyers over age 25. Half of the film’s total audience fell between the ages of 18 and 34.
IMAX and Premium Screens Fuel the Epic
The Odyssey is the first feature film shot entirely with IMAX cameras. That distinction made premium large-format screenings a priority for many moviegoers.
Cinephiles flocked to the 25 U.S. theaters showing the film in IMAX 70mm. Domestic IMAX screenings generated $29.6 million, accounting for 23.8 percent of the film’s North American total.
International IMAX showings added another $22.2 million. Premium large formats across all brands represented 53 percent of the domestic opening.
The film is on track to deliver the third-biggest domestic opening of Nolan’s career. It also ranks as his largest opening outside the Batman franchise.
Only The Dark Knight Rises, with $160 million, and 2008’s The Dark Knight, with $158 million, opened higher. Both films featured Nolan’s version of the DC Comics hero.
Universal Celebrates the Theatrical Experience
Universal president of domestic theatrical distribution Jim Orr praised Nolan’s ability to create large-scale theatrical events. He also credited the film’s emotional story and visual ambition.
“Christopher Nolan continues to create films that are immersive theatrical events,” Orr told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. “The Odyssey is exactly the kind of movie on an epic scale that audiences want to truly experience together — exactly why the theatrical experience is unrivaled. All of us at Universal are incredibly proud to work with Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and everyone at Syncopy on this amazing film. The Odyssey, with its breathtaking scale and emotional storytelling, delivers an unforgettable entertainment experience for all audiences.”
A Different Launch From Oppenheimer
The Odyssey was the weekend’s only new wide release. That gave it a different path from Nolan’s previous film, Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer opened in July 2023 alongside Barbie, creating the cultural phenomenon known as Barbenheimer. The drama about the physicist who led the development of the atomic bomb debuted with $82.4 million domestically.
The film eventually earned $975 million worldwide. It also won seven Academy Awards, including best picture and Nolan’s first Oscar for best director.
Career-Best Reviews Boost the Opening
Strong reviews helped fuel the successful launch of The Odyssey. The film holds a 95 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest score of Nolan’s career.
That rating places it just ahead of The Dark Knight and Memento, which each hold 94 percent scores. Rotten Tomatoes also designated The Odyssey as “verified hot,” with a 97 percent audience rating.
In his review for THR, chief film critic David Rooney called 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.” THR’s ranking of Nolan’s films placed The Odyssey second, behind only The Dark Knight.
Cinema United president and CEO Michael O’Leary said the turnout demonstrates continued demand for major theatrical releases. He emphasized the appeal of seeing large-scale entertainment on the big screen.
“Movie fans across the country and around the world have been showing up to see The Odyssey in every conceivable format, demonstrating the great demand of seeing grand-scale entertainment like this on the big screen,” O’Leary said in a statement.
Hollywood Finds Relief After Several Disappointments
The opening gave Hollywood a reason to celebrate after several difficult weeks. Recent disappointments included Disney’s live-action Moana, Supergirl and Minions & Monsters.
The Dwayne Johnson-led Moana finished in second place during its second weekend. It earned $19 million domestically and declined approximately 56 percent.
The film has collected $82.1 million in North America after two weeks. Its opening weekend fell short of industry expectations.
Minions and Toy Story Battle for Third Place
Illumination’s Minions & Monsters and Disney’s Toy Story 5 finished in a close race for third place. Both films earned $14.8 million during the weekend.
Minions & Monsters, the latest entry in Universal’s Despicable Me franchise, reached that total in its third weekend. It has earned $136 million domestically.
Toy Story 5 collected its $14.8 million during its fifth weekend. The Pixar sequel has now earned $430.9 million in North America.
That total makes Toy Story 5 the year’s highest-grossing domestic release, surpassing The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The film is also approaching $1 billion worldwide, with a global total of $958.4 million.
Evil Dead Burn Rounds Out the Top Five
Warner Bros.’ Evil Dead Burn finished fifth. The latest installment in the Evil Dead horror franchise earned approximately $5 million during its second weekend.
The film declined about 66 percent and has earned $24.1 million domestically. Its opening weekend finished well below the 2023 debut of Evil Dead Rise.
A Quiet Weekend Ahead
Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina could compete with moviegoing, especially in international markets. The event may affect the weekend’s final box office totals.
Next weekend will bring a rare summer gap without any new wide releases. Studios avoided scheduling films between The Odyssey and Sony’s anticipated July 31 release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which also stars Holland and Zendaya.
The top 12 movies of the weekend, as of Sunday, July 19, are as follows.
| # | Title | Distributor Name | Weekend Total | # of Locs | Loc Avg | Cume Total | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odyssey, The | Universal | $124,500,000 | 3,919 | $31,768 | $124,500,000 | |
| 2 | Moana | Disney | $19,000,000 | 4,200 | $4,524 | $82,081,410 | -56% |
| 3 | Toy Story 5 | Disney | $14,800,000 | 3,400 | $4,353 | 430,918,566 | -22% |
| – | Minions & Monsters | Universal | $14,800,000 | 3,510 | $4,217 | 137,584,000 | -30% |
| 5 | Evil Dead Burn | Warner Bros. | $5,000,000 | 3,004 | $1,664 | $24,151,000 | -64% |
| 6 | Invite, The | A24 | $3,905,909 | 2,110 | $1,851 | 15,017,889 | -34% |
| 7 | Young Washington | Angel Studios | $3,678,487 | 2,275 | $1,617 | 41,018,236 | -47% |
| 8 | Obsession | Focus Features | $2,500,000 | 1,524 | $1,640 | 258,491,000 | -35% |
| 9 | Supergirl | Warner Bros. | $1,525,000 | 1,572 | $970 | 69,957,000 | -59% |
| 10 | Disclosure Day | Universal | $1,450,000 | 1,299 | $1,116 | 114,704,000 | -57% |
| 11 | Backrooms | A24 | $714,828 | 742 | $963 | 195,963,464 | -53% |
| 12 | Scary Movie | Paramount | $255,000 | 225 | $1,133 | 107,992,000 | -39% |
