The Odyssey Scores Nolan’s Best-Ever Opening Weekend
Early box office forecasts now have The Odyssey on pace to surpass The Dark Knight Rises’ lifetime gross.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has come out swinging at the global box office, vastly outperforming expectations in its opening weekend. While Universal had been hoping for a strong start, the film has smashed their projections with a global take of $257.8 million and a US opening of $120.5 million.
That international haul gives Nolan his biggest-ever global opening weekend, overtaking both The Dark Knight Rises and Oppenheimer. Only his Batman sequels managed bigger openings in the US, but The Odyssey is now Nolan’s most successful debut for a non-franchise film on home turf.
Records broken
- Biggest global opening for a Nolan film: $257.8 million
- Third-biggest domestic opening for Nolan (behind The Dark Knight Rises and The Dark Knight)
- Highest-grossing opening for a live-action film in 2026 to date
- Second-highest debut ever for an R-rated film globally (after Deadpool & Wolverine)
- Universal’s top weekend launch for an R-rated release
The staggering numbers partly reflect the film’s technical ambition. It’s the first movie ever shot entirely with IMAX 70mm film cameras, and cinemagoers have responded: Premium Large Format screens alone made up a huge portion of sales, with IMAX screenings bringing in $30 million in North America and another $22 million worldwide.
The Odyssey cost $250 million to make, but its opening suggests it could soon join this year’s billion-dollar blockbusters.
Despite its massive $250 million budget, the film’s momentum puts it within reach of the biggest releases of recent years, including The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Michael, both of which have sailed past the billion-dollar mark. For Nolan to claim his career box office crown, The Odyssey will need to top The Dark Knight Rises’ worldwide total of $1.085 billion.
Strong reviews from both critics and audiences hint at staying power, even if some corners of the internet have been grumbling about casting decisions. If crowds keep turning out, this could yet be a new high-water mark for Nolan’s already storied career.