The Odyssey is rewriting the record books in ways that even Christopher Nolan’s previous hits didn’t manage.
The Odyssey released this weekend with a huge cast that includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Samantha Morton as Circe, Elliot Page as Sinon, and Lupita Nyong’o taking on a dual role as both Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. The hype was so massive that it sold out over a dozen IMAX 70mm screenings a full year ahead of its debut, and it looks like the buildup is converting into ticket sales.
According to Deadline, The Odyssey is going toward a three-day domestic opening of $120.5 million, putting it comfortably at the top of the box office. That number alone makes it Nolan’s best opening weekend for any film outside his Batman trilogy, surpassing Oppenheimer’s $82.4 million debut and trailing only The Dark Knight ($158.4 million) and The Dark Knight Rises ($160.8 million).
If we look at the 2026 box office, The Odyssey now holds the year’s best live-action domestic opening and ranks third overall, behind only The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($131.7 million) and Toy Story 5 ($159.6 million). It also claims the top R-rated opening of the year so far, outpacing horror hit Backrooms, which debuted at $81.4 million on its way to becoming A24’s highest-grossing release ever.
The Odyssey opening weekend alone has already surpassed the entire domestic theatrical run of all but twelve movies released in 2026. A list that includes Disclosure Day ($113.2 million), Wuthering Heights ($84 million), Mortal Kombat II ($79.7 million), The Sheep Detectives ($66.1 million), Send Help ($64.7 million), Reminders of Him ($48.5 million), The Drama ($48.1 million), and Lee Cronin’s The Mummy ($29.1 million).
The strong start couldn’t come at a better time, given how much the film needs to earn back. With a reported production budget of $250 million, industry estimates put its break-even point somewhere around $625 million worldwide. A threshold only nine films managed to clear globally in 2025. Still, early signs point toward a billion-dollar run. For comparison, both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises crossed that mark narrowly, finishing at $1.008 billion and $1.084 billion respectively.
Audience reaction so far suggests the film could sustain that same kind of long-term pull, and it currently holds a 97% Verified Hot score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, the highest audience score of Nolan’s career.
