Christopher Nolan’s film "The Odyssey" grossed approximately $87 million domestically during its second weekend at North American theaters, breaking the second weekend box office record previously held by "The Dark Knight" from 2008, which earned $75.1 million in its second weekend [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Globally, "The Odyssey" generated around $215 million in the same period, bringing its worldwide total to roughly $639 million as of late July 2026 [5, 4, 1].
The movie premiered in the United States on July 17, 2026, and is scheduled to release in mainland China on August 14, 2026 [7, 8]. It features an ensemble cast including Matthew Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya as Athena, and Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy [6, 9, 10]. Christopher Nolan described the film’s narrative as presenting "the gods the way that people at the time might have viewed them... They’re seeking and finding gods and the influence of gods in the people around them" [9].
"The Odyssey" is distinctive as the first feature shot entirely with IMAX 70 mm cameras. Premium large format screenings, especially IMAX 70 mm, have driven substantially higher revenue per ticket and international interest [11, 4]. Richard Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, said, "Imax 70-millimeter film has become among the hottest tickets in the world. Fans are flying across countries, if not continents, to experience 'The Odyssey' and Imax 70 millimeter." Moviegoers like Mike Rohlfing echoed this, calling the format "incredible" and saying it was worth traveling long distances to see the film that way [11].
There are only 41 IMAX 70 mm theaters worldwide, and many of those premium screenings have been pre-sold well into September 2026 [2, 3, 12, 11]. The higher ticket prices for these formats are estimated to be about 81% above average ticket costs [11].
During "The Odyssey’s" second weekend, Disney’s "Moana" and "Toy Story 5" ranked second and third at the North American box office with $10.5 million and $10 million respectively. "Toy Story 5" recently crossed $1 billion in global revenue [1, 2, 4].
The film has also spurred renewed public interest in reading Homer’s epic poem "The Odyssey" and related ancient literature [8]. However, within days of release, pirated full-length versions were uploaded to social media platforms and attracted over 2.1 million views before Universal Pictures initiated takedown efforts in late July 2026 [7].
"The Odyssey" is currently the highest-grossing R-rated movie of 2026 and is competing with the upcoming Marvel release "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" for box office dominance [1, 5, 2, 4].
Industry analysts note that the film’s second weekend box office drop ranged between about 30% and 32%, with actual earnings reported around $87 million, slightly above some forecasts [1, 2, 3, 12, 4, 6]. Paul Dergarabedian, head of Rentrak Market Trends, said, "Such a performance is impressive even for a film's opening weekend, showing the audience’s enthusiasm and anticipation for Nolan's epic." [2]
The next major event for "The Odyssey" is its planned release in mainland China on August 14, 2026 [7].
