Christopher Nolan‘The Odyssey’ stormed the North American box office to score one of the biggest debuts and a personal record for the director.According to trade reports, the film earned approximately USD 124.5 million in domestic ticket sales and another USD 139.6 million from overseas, making a better debut than ‘Oppenheimer’ and marking Nolan’s best opening since 2012’s ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, which earned USD 249 million during its release.Nolan has transformed his singular box-office performance into a global debut unlike any other. Few filmmakers alive could make a star-studded, big-budget adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. But in a Hollywood where intellectual property rights rule most hits, Nolan turned one of the world’s oldest works of literature into an unlikely summer blockbuster.
‘The Odyssey’ became the most expensive R-rated film
The Universal production is not a small gamble with Nolan, who from 2023 best won the picture ‘Oppenheimer’. With a production budget of USD 250 million, it is one of the most expensive R-rated movies ever made. Universal spent about USD 125 million to market it.
IMAX drives ‘The Odyssey’ ticket sales
But no name behind the camera resonates more with audiences than Nolan. The hype of ‘The Odyssey’ was so great that IMAX sold out tickets for 70 mm showtimes a year in advance. To satisfy the extraordinary demand for Nolan’s preferred format, IMAX 70 mm, some theaters added midnight and 3 a.m. screenings – and they sold out.Billed as Nolan’s first feature shot entirely with IMAX cameras, the format drove a huge chunk of ticket sales. That includes USD 29.6 million inside IMAX and USD 51.8 million worldwide, leading the company’s best weekend ever.IMAX is dedicating its screens entirely to ‘The Odyssey’ for three weeks. Although only 41 IMAX screens could screen ‘The Odyssey’ in 70 mm, it accounted for USD 6.3 million in ticket sales.Since the pandemic, Nolan has led the revival of cinemas. His ‘Tenet’ was one of the first major releases to return to cinemas in 2020. Three years later, ‘Oppenheimer’ and Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ came together to create what is probably the signature moment of the decade’s movies. “Oppenheimer” ultimately earned USD 975 million worldwide.“The Odyssey” hits theaters during Hollywood’s best summer since 2019. Ticket sales are running 10.4% ahead of last year, according to Rentrak. The industry is expecting its first $10 billion domestic box office year since the pandemic.
‘Spider-Man’ crashes ‘The Odyssey’ party
The only question for “The Odyssey” is how crowded it will be going forward, as many moviegoers have been making the weekend rounds for months. The film didn’t face new-release competition this weekend, and it won’t next week either. However, at the end of the month, the film will face new competition with the release of Tom Holland and Zendaya’s Spider-Man. New Day’ on July 31 (India July 30). The superhero movie is tipped to soar at the box office, and continue its epic box office run, once again surpassing the $1 billion mark.
The casting controversy had no apparent effect
‘The Odyssey’ stars: Matt Damon: as Odysseus and appeared in Holland as his son, Telemachus; Anne Hathaway as Penelope; Zendaya as Athena; Robert Pattinson as the suitor Antinous and Charlize Theron as the sea nymph Calypso.Nolan’s casting for the film, including Lupita Nyong’o as Helen and Elliot Page as a soldier, was controversial among some conservative commentators. Elon Musk called Nolan an “extraordinaire” for casting Nyong’o.But that criticism had no effect on ‘The Odyssey’ which became one of the big screen cultural events of the year. Reviews (95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) are among the best of Nolan’s career. Audiences gave it an “A” CinemaScore.
‘Moana’ sailed into second place
Followed by PG-rated films after “The Odyssey.” Walt Disney Co.’s “Moana” landed in a distant second place with $19 million in its third week. After a disappointing $43 million launch, the live-action remake dropped 56% in its second weekend. In two weeks it collected USD 178 million worldwide, a poor result for a film that cost USD 250 million to make.‘Moana’ was followed by Universal’s ‘Minions & Monsters’ and Disney’s ‘Toy Story 5’, both of which earned around USD 15 million.
Top 10 movies at the domestic box office
With the final domestic numbers released Monday, this list accounts for the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday in theaters in the US and Canada, according to Rentrak.1. “The Odyssey,” $124.5 million.2. “Moana,” $19 million.3. “Minions & Monsters,” $14.8 million.4. “Toy Story 5,” $14.8 million.5. “Evil Dead Burn,” $5 million.6. “The Invite,” $3.9 million.7. “Young Washington,” $3.7 million.8. “Obsession,” $2.5 million.9. “Supergirl,” $1.5 million.10. “Disclosure Day,” $1.5 million.
