Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has stormed the global box office, collecting $264.1 million worldwide in its opening weekend to become the biggest debut of the director's career. This marks the film-maker's best opening since 2012's 'The Dark Knight Rises'.
Nolan's Biggest Opening Yet
Released by Universal Pictures, The Odyssey earned $124.5 million in North America and $139.6 million from international markets. The film's worldwide opening of $264.1 million also makes it the third-biggest global debut of 2026, behind The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($372.5 million) and Toy Story 5 ($312 million), according to Variety.
The film has now surpassed the opening weekend collections of The Dark Knight Rises ($249 million) and The Dark Knight ($198 million), giving Nolan a new career milestone.
Unlike many recent box office hits, The Odyssey is not part of an existing movie series. Instead, Nolan has adapted Homer's centuries-old Greek epic poem, bringing the story of Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, and his long journey home after the Trojan War to the big screen.
Strong Overseas Performance
So far, The Odyssey has opened in 73 international markets, with the United Kingdom and Ireland contributing $17.4 million, followed by France ($13.7 million) and Italy ($11.5 million).
The film is Christopher Nolan's biggest opening in 48 international territories, including France and Italy. It also became the Universal studio's highest opening in 11 markets.
The film is still awaiting release in China, Japan and South Korea, giving it the opportunity to add significantly to its global earnings in the coming weeks.
The IMAX Effect
As reported by Variety, a major share of the opening weekend came from IMAX screens. The Odyssey is the first feature film shot completely using IMAX cameras, and the format generated $51.8 million worldwide, including $22.2 million from overseas markets.
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IMAX contributed 23% of the film's global revenue and 16% of its international earnings.
MAX CEO Richard Gelfond said the film's strong performance could drive the expansion of IMAX theatres worldwide and encourage more audiences to watch films in the premium format.
Team Behind The Film
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, alongside Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal and John Leguizamo.
Made on a reported $250 million budget, The Odyssey is expected to continue its strong run as it expands into more international markets.
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