Director Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has achieved an extraordinary $264.1 million worldwide in its opening weekend, far exceeding initial box office projections. The film's performance includes a domestic gross of $124.5 million and an international take of $139.6 million. This global total represents the largest opening weekend of Nolan's career, surpassing previous successes like The Dark Knight Rises and The Dark Knight.
Universal described the weekend's box office results as "incredibly rewarding," noting "the palpable excitement in theatres." Early forecasts had suggested a domestic opening between $90 million and $100 million, with a global total of $257.8 million. The Odyssey's actual performance significantly outpaced these estimates.
The film, which had a reported production cost of $250 million and an additional $125 million for promotion, has already surpassed its production budget in its first few days. This ambitious project, the 13th feature from Nolan, premiered on July 17. It stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, and Tom Holland as Telemachus, among a large ensemble cast.
Despite facing online controversy that affected its pre-release marketing, The Odyssey has emerged as a major box office success. Analysts are now anticipating the film could potentially reach the $1 billion milestone. For comparison, Nolan's previous film, Oppenheimer, earned $180.4 million on its opening weekend in 2023 and concluded its theatrical run with $975.8 million globally.
In the weekend's box office rankings, Disney's live-action Moana adaptation secured second place with a total of $178 million. Minions & Monsters and Toy Story 5 tied for third, with global hauls of $323 million and $958 million, respectively, while Supergirl has accumulated $120 million worldwide.
IGN awarded The Odyssey an 8/10, praising its adaptation of Homer's epic through a modern lens that incorporates horror, existential angst, and humor, calling it "a pretty great moviegoing experience."