Christopher Nolan‘s ‘The Odyssey’ stormed the North American box office to score one of the biggest debuts and a personal record for the director.According to trade reports, the film earned an estimated USD 124.5 million in domestic ticket sales and another USD 139.6 million from overseas, notching an even better debut than ‘Oppenheimer’ and marking Nolan’s best opening since 2012’s ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, which earned USD 249 million at the time of its release.Nolan flexed his singular box-office might with a global debut unlike any other. Few filmmakers alive could pull off a starry, big-budget adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. But in a Hollywood where intellectual property rights rule most hits, Nolan turned one of the world’s oldest works of literature into an unlikely summer blockbuster.
‘The Odyssey’ becomes most expensive R-rated film
The Universal production was no small gamble on Nolan, coming off the 2023 best picture-winning ‘Oppenheimer’. With a production budget of USD 250 million, it’s among the most expensive R-rated movies ever made. Universal is spending some USD 125 million to market it.
IMAX drives ‘The Odyssey’ ticket sales
But no behind-the-camera name turns out audiences more than Nolan’s. So great was the hype on ‘The Odyssey’ that IMAX put tickets on sale for some 70 mm showtimes a full year in advance. To satisfy the extraordinary demand for Nolan’s preferred format, IMAX 70 mm, some theaters added midnight and 3 a.m. screenings – and sold them out.Billed as Nolan’s first feature shot entirely with IMAX cameras, the format drove a huge slice of ticket sales. That included USD 29.6 million domestically on IMAX and USD 51.8 million globally, leading to the company’s best weekend ever.IMAX is dedicating its screens entirely to ‘The Odyssey’ for three weeks. Though only 41 IMAX screens can screen ‘The Odyssey’ in 70 mm, they accounted for USD 6.3 million in ticket sales.Since the pandemic, Nolan has been at the forefront of reviving cinemas. His ‘Tenet’ was one of the first big releases to wade back into theaters in 2020. Three years later, ‘Oppenheimer’ and Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ combined to create arguably the movies’ signature moment of the decade. ‘Oppenheimer’ ultimately grossed USD 975 million worldwide.‘The Odyssey’ arrived in theaters during Hollywood’s best summer since 2019. Ticket sales are running 10.4% ahead of last year, according to Rentrak. The industry is expecting the first $10 billion year at the domestic box office since the pandemic.
‘Spider-Man’ to crash ‘The Odyssey’ party
The only question for “The Odyssey” will be how front-loaded it is, given that many moviegoers have had this weekend circled for months. The film faced no new-release competition over the weekend, and it won’t next weekend, either. However, come month-end, the film will face new competition with the release of Tom Holland and Zendaya’s ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ on July 31 (India July 30). The superhero film is touted to make a splash at the box office, and continue its epic box office run, crossing the USD 1 billion mark again.
Casting controversy has no apparent effect
‘The Odyssey’ stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and features Holland as his son, Telemachus; Anne Hathaway as Penelope; Zendaya as Athena; Robert Pattinson as the suitor Antinous and Charlize Theron as the sea nymph Calypso.Nolan’s casting for the film including Lupita Nyong’o as Helen and Elliot Page as a soldier, was controversial to some conservative commentators. Elon Musk called Nolan a “coward” over Nyong’o’s casting.But that criticism had little to no effect on ‘The Odyssey’ becoming one of the big-screen cultural events of the year. Reviews (95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) are among the best of Nolan’s career. Audiences gave it an “A” CinemaScore.
‘Moana’ sails into second spot
PG-rated films followed in the wake of “The Odyssey.” The Walt Disney Co.’s “Moana” landed in a distant second place with $19 million in its third weekend. Following its disappointing $43 million launch, the live-action remake slid 56% on its second weekend. In two weeks it collected USD 178 million worldwide, a poor result for a film that cost USD 250 million to make.‘Moana’ was trailed by Universal’s ‘Minions & Monsters’ and Disney’s ‘Toy Story 5’, both of which grossed about USD 15 million.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:1. “The Odyssey,” $124.5 million.2. “Moana,” $19 million.3. “Minions & Monsters,” $14.8 million.4. “Toy Story 5,” $14.8 million.5. “Evil Dead Burn,” $5 million.6. “The Invite,” $3.9 million.7. “Young Washington,” $3.7 million.8. “Obsession,” $2.5 million.9. “Supergirl,” $1.5 million.10. “Disclosure Day,” $1.5 million.
