Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' is off to a strong start with an exceptional opening in theaters, grossing $17.6 million from Thursday night previews in the United States, and is on track for an opening weekend of $117 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

With these numbers, 'The Odyssey' will have the best opening for a live-action film this year, surpassing 'Michael' which opened at $97 million, and it also tops all R-rated film openings in 2026, exceeding 'Backrooms' which made $81.4 million in its opening weekend.

This figure also marks the best opening for an R-rated film from Universal Pictures, surpassing 'Fifty Shades of Grey' (which earned $85.1 million).

The success of 'The Odyssey' in its early days also makes it the biggest opening for a Nolan film since 'The Dark Knight Rises', surpassing the opening gross of 'Oppenheimer' which stood at $82.4 million.

According to Forbes estimates, the film needs to earn between $625 million and $750 million to break even, given production and marketing costs of approximately $375 million, after subtracting the theaters' share.

However, many are betting on continued strong revenue thanks to the film's huge popularity and audience turnout, particularly on large IMAX screens which are sold out for weeks to come.

Will 'The Odyssey' be Nolan's third film to cross the billion-dollar mark worldwide after 'The Dark Knight' and 'The Dark Knight Rises'? Early indicators suggest the film is a strong candidate for this achievement, given the high demand and attendance at its early screenings.

Go to top button