The Odyssey on track for a massive global box office debut

If you reckon Christopher Nolan's films have peaked, think again—the numbers flying about for The Odyssey suggest his upcoming epic could smash some pretty enormous records, before most of us even stagger into a cinema. This is one of those rare moments where even industry insiders seem almost surprised at how big the projections are.

Another Big Bet on Nolan

So, here’s where we stand: various box office sniffers are saying The Odyssey will pull in somewhere between $85 million and $100 million in its opening weekend in the US. That alone is proper blockbuster territory, but Universal (the studio behind it all) is bracing for another $110 million coming in from a frankly eye-watering 22,700 screens in seventy-three markets around the globe.

If you pull out your calculator—or just read the headlines—that’s a worldwide start above $200 million, putting The Odyssey up there with only the biggest launches we’ve seen this decade.

Early Sales: Big, But Still Chasing The Pack

Now, before you start comparing it to the superhero mob: pre-sales for this new three-hour, R-rated Nolan special are, according to non-Universal sources, sitting strong at $30 to $40 million. That’s less than the recent eye-popping $60 million for Wicked: For Good, or the $50 mil that Deadpool & Wolverine managed. Still, not exactly shabby for a balmy July opener. From Thursday, Americans can catch it as early as 2pm in preview showings.

All-Star Cast, No Direct Rivals

• Matt Damon
• Robert Pattinson
• Zendaya
• Tom Holland
• Anne Hathaway
• Jon Bernthal
• Lupita Nyong'o

It’s a proper ensemble, pulling some of the biggest names in Hollywood, and—almost unheard of for a summer tentpole—there isn’t a single other studio blockbuster opening against it. Universal’s rolling it out across the same markets as Oppenheimer, but adding day-and-date releases in Italy and Greece this time round.

How It Stacks Up to Oppenheimer

For a bit of context: Oppenheimer debuted on only 17,500 international screens, pulling $98.7 million overseas and landing a global bow of $181.1 million. The Odyssey’s got even more screens and bigger numbers on its side. That said, some territories—including Korea, Japan and China—are waiting for a staggered (aka delayed) release. It’s especially worth pointing out Oppenheimer absolutely smashed it in the UK and China: $61.6 million in China and $52.7 million in Germany are not small potatoes.

The Wildcard: Football vs. Film

Now, here’s where things get a bit unpredictable—England’s advanced to the World Cup semis, and that’s bound to knacker a bit of opening weekend business in the UK, depending on when matches are played. Industry folks reckon fans who’ve already got tickets (and there are plenty—some IMAX 70mm venues in Europe sold out a year ago) will simply pick their screenings for when there’s no footie on.

Put it this way: if anything could become a proper ‘legs’ film, it’s this. Oppenheimer started with $82.4 million in the US and eventually hit $330 million, so if history repeats, The Odyssey isn’t likely to vanish after the first weekend. Buzz from early media screenings is already spilling over into awards-season chat.

'Four European IMAX 70mm venues sold out screenings a full year before release.'

The Odyssey washes ashore in US cinemas Thursday, 17 July, with nationwide previews beginning at 2pm.