Over the weekend, Christopher Nolan‘s “The Odyssey” will begin its epic big-screen journey.
The big-budget historical adventure is projected to open to $90 million to $100 million from 3,900 North American theaters. Anywhere in this range would rank as Nolan’s biggest debut since 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises” ($160 million). At the higher end of estimates, “The Odyssey” would be only the third release this year to debut above $100 million following “Toy Story 5” ($159 million) and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” ($131 million).
Anticipation for “The Odyssey” has been stratospheric as Nolan’s follow-up to 2023’s “Oppenheimer,” which launched to a remarkable $82 million and remained a formidable box office force for months. “Oppenheimer” opened in second place in North America behind another juggernaut, “Barbie.” As this weekend’s only major release, “The Odyssey” will get the satisfaction of debuting at No. 1 on domestic box office charts.
Universal needs “The Odyssey” to enjoy a box office run that’s as long (but maybe not as arduous) as Odysseus’ journey back to Troy. “The Odyssey” cost $250 million to produce, a staggering price tag for any tentpole these days. Universal, which also backed “Oppenheimer,” is also spending around $125 million to promote the R-rated movie to global audiences, with splashy stops in London, Paris and Mumbai.
Of course, Universal was willing to spend all that cash because Nolan has become a brand unto himself. He’s long been a commercial draw, having directed outsized box office successes like “The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Inception,” “Dunkirk” and “Interstellar.” The reserved British filmmaker reached a new level of fame after “Oppenheimer,” which shattered any and all box office expectations for a three-hour, R-rated period piece about the “father of the atomic bomb” before winning the Oscar for best picture. Fueled by the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, “Oppenheimer” earned a remarkable $330 million in North America and $975 million globally. It was the highest-grossing film based on a real person, though Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” recently toppled that record with $1 billion.
Nolan is known to rhapsodize about the power of the big screen, and like his prior works, “The Odyssey” will benefit from premium large formats. He’s been a loyalist to Imax ever since 2008’s “The Dark Knight” became the first Hollywood release to use the company’s high-tech cameras for some action sequences. “The Odyssey” is notable as the first feature shot entirely with Imax cameras, a feat that Nolan has called his “longest-held ambition.” Given his collaboration with Imax, the company is dedicating all of its screens to “The Odyssey” for an exclusive three-week run. The movie will likely monopolize those auditoriums for way longer, if the enormous turnout for “Oppenheimer” is any indication. The drama about J. Robert Oppenheimer earned a staggering $180 million in Imax, and demand was so high that some brave cinephiles endured 4 a.m. showtimes or crossed state lines to see the movie in the coveted 70mm format. Capitalizing on that hype, Imax put “The Odyssey” tickets on sale for select 70mm showtimes a full year in advance.
An adaptation of the Homer’s Greek epic, “The Odyssey” stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, and chronicles his long and perilous return home after the Trojan War. Tom Holland portrays his son Telemachus while Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron and Jon Bernthal round out the ensemble.
This summer has been a standout, with revenues nearly in line with 2019 and on pace to cross $4 billion for only the second time since COVID. Although the past month has been rocky with back-to-back-to-back duds of the Warner Bros. and DC adaptation “Supergirl,” Universal and Illumination sequel “Minions and Monsters” and Disney’s live action “Moana,” attendance should rebound with “The Odyssey” and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which opens on July 31.