Christopher Nolan’s journey through ancient Greece has begun with a mighty $264 million global launch.
The Odyssey’s Epic Premiere
Universal Pictures’ The Odyssey earned approximately $124.5 million in the United States and Canada during its opening weekend, accompanied by another $139.6 million from international markets. That brought the film’s worldwide debut to approximately $264.1 million.
The domestic total substantially exceeded Universal’s initial projection of approximately $100 million. It also gave The Odyssey the third-largest North American opening of 2026, behind Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5, which debuted with approximately $159 million, and Universal and Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which opened with approximately $131 million.
Despite falling short of those two family films domestically, The Odyssey delivered the biggest opening of the year for both a live-action film and an R-rated release. It also surpassed the launch of Nolan’s previous movie, Oppenheimer, which eventually collected $975 million worldwide.
The $264 million launch is Nolan’s largest worldwide opening outside of his Batman films when adjusted for inflation. In unadjusted figures, it surpassed the $249 million global debut of The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, though that earlier total would equal more than $360 million today.
The Odyssey reportedly cost approximately $250 million to produce, making its strong initial performance especially important for Universal. The studio is also estimated to have spent another $125 million on marketing the epic.
As part of that marketing campaign, Universal promoted The Odyssey here at Universal Studios Florida with a large wooden horse statue rising from the sand in Central Park. A nearby poster depicted the legendary Trojan Horse surrounded by flames and smoke.
Premium large-format screenings were responsible for a considerable portion of the film’s success. Approximately 53% of its North American opening-weekend revenue came from premium formats, including IMAX.
The film generated approximately $51.8 million from IMAX screens worldwide, including $29.6 million domestically. The 41 theaters capable of presenting the film in IMAX 70mm contributed approximately $6.3 million of that total. Some theaters added midnight and 3 a.m. screenings to accommodate demand.
Nolan filmed The Odyssey entirely with IMAX cameras, making it the first feature-length film produced entirely in the large-format system. The movie launched across more than 26,000 screens in 73 international markets, including approximately 440 IMAX screens.
Fan fervor around IMAX was also evident when a $50 limited-edition IMAX film camera popcorn bucket sold out online within hours. Its illuminated viewfinder reveals a scene from The Odyssey.
Disney’s live-action Moana finished in a distant second place at the domestic box office, earning an estimated $19 million during its third weekend in theaters. The live-action remake has collected approximately $178 million worldwide following its disappointing $43 million domestic opening.
Universal’s Minions & Monsters and Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 followed with approximately $14.8 million each. Evil Dead Burn rounded out the domestic top five with $5 million.
The Odyssey adapts Homer’s ancient Greek poem about Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, and his perilous journey home following the Trojan War. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus alongside Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Zendaya as Athena, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, and Charlize Theron as Calypso. The ensemble cast also includes Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Samantha Morton, Mia Goth, and Benny Safdie.
The Odyssey is now playing exclusively in theaters.
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