Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey sets sail for a blockbuster box office opening

Summer at the box office usually has a few strange twists, but this year, all eyes are glued to Christopher Nolan and his stab at The Odyssey. People haven’t been able to stop speculating over whether Nolan’s really managed to wrestle Homer’s epic poem onto a cinema screen. And in true internet fashion, the film copped an absurd amount of review-bombing and social media stick before anyone had even seen it. Now it’s actually landed in cinemas, critics and the general public are loving it — not something I expected after all those pre-release meltdowns.

Nolan’s On a Different Level

Look, let’s be honest: there aren’t many directors whose films basically double as cultural events, no matter what they're about. Nolan’s the one you can count on. Remember Oppenheimer? He managed to convince millions to spend three hours watching scientists talk about atomic bombs — and turned it into a nearly $1 billion hit. If he can pull that off, then making The Odyssey a commercial juggernaut isn’t out of the question. The catch: much like his previous outings, it might be a slow burner rather than an instant smash.

Nolan fans are a weird breed. They’ll wait for weeks, even travel across the country, just to see his films in IMAX 70mm, exactly the way Nolan insists they should be seen. That means you hardly get a typical stampede on opening day. Still, the early projections aren't bad at all — a $90 million opening weekend seems a safe call this time.

'A $100 million opening is definitely possible here, and that’s a massive achievement for an R-rated film.'

For some context, Oppenheimer took just over $80 million on its first weekend. The difference is, The Odyssey has got a genuinely star-packed cast, so the mainstream pull might be even bigger.

Dwayne Johnson’s Run Continues to Hit Bumps

Now, on the flop end of things, Disney’s Moana (the new one, not the original) is sinking fast — expect it to haemorrhage at least half its audience in its second weekend and end up around $18 million. It’s another miss in Dwayne Johnson’s recent string of not-great box office outings, following Red One (underwhelmed) and The Smashing Machine (full-on tanked). The big talk: will the next Jumanji finally get him back on track, or is this just how it goes now?

The Rest of the Pack

• The Odyssey: $90 million
• Moana: $18 million
• Toy Story 5: $11 million
• Minions & Monsters: $10 million
• Evil Dead Burn: $6 million

Speaking of legacy sequels and reboots, Disney are likely to hang onto three of the top five slots this weekend. Toy Story 5 should hit $11 million, though it’s basically neck and neck with Universal’s Minions & Monsters at $10 million — when the actuals come in on Sunday, those positions could easily swap. Bringing up the rear is Evil Dead Burn, which, despite some strong reviews, is continuing its disappointing box office crawl with a projected $6 million.