Nolan spent years pushing to shoot an entire film on Imax cameras. Now audiences are proving the bet paid off, packing premium screens and pushing the film toward $140 million from Imax alone.
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Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s ancient poem is turning into one of the biggest theatrical events of the year. After just two weekends in theaters, “The Odyssey” has pulled in $652 million worldwide. That includes $289 million domestically and $362 million from international markets.
The film is already the sixth-highest grossing Hollywood movie of 2026 at the global box office. That’s a big number for a nearly three-hour, R-rated retelling of a 3,000-year-old Greek epic.
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“The Odyssey” opened on July 17 to $124.5 million domestically from 3,919 theaters. Worldwide, the opening weekend brought in $264.1 million. Both numbers marked the best debut of Nolan’s career.
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The domestic opening was Nolan’s biggest since 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” which launched with $160 million. It also landed as the third-largest opening of the year so far, behind only “Toy Story 5” and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.”
Globally, the film’s launch surpassed the mark set by “The Dark Knight Rises,” which opened to $249 million without adjusting for inflation. For Nolan, a director already known for box office pull through films like “Inception,” “Dunkirk,” and “Oppenheimer,” this was his strongest start yet.
Most films see a steep drop after opening weekend, especially R-rated ones. “The Odyssey” didn’t follow that pattern. In its second weekend, the film earned $90 million domestically from 3,943 theaters. That’s only a 27 percent decline from its debut, a sign of strong word of mouth carrying the film forward.
Industry analyst David A. Gross called it a true showcase of Nolan’s pull with audiences. He pointed to the director’s track record across 13 films and his loyal following as reasons the movie has held on so well.
A major part of the film’s success comes down to format. “The Odyssey” is the first feature ever shot entirely with Imax cameras, something Nolan has described as a long-term goal of his career.
The demand for premium large formats has been intense. The film has already brought in $140 million through Imax screens alone. Imax CEO Richard Gelfond said the movie has crossed over from a hit blockbuster into a global cultural event.
Audiences surveyed through PostTrak named Nolan himself as their top reason for choosing to see the film. That’s notable given the star-studded cast, which includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, along with Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, John Leguizamo, and Jon Bernthal.
With momentum still building, “The Odyssey” is now positioned to challenge some of Nolan’s own past achievements. It could eventually pass 2009’s “The Dark Knight,” which finished its run at $1.008 billion. It might also surpass 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” which brought in $1.08 billion, making “The Odyssey” Nolan’s highest-grossing film of all time.
Much of that depends on how the film performs over the coming weeks and how it does internationally. China, one of the largest movie markets in the world, won’t see “The Odyssey” until August 14. A strong opening there could significantly boost the film’s final total.
There’s also a chance the film could break into rarified territory reserved for R-rated releases. The current record belongs to 2024’s “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which earned $1.33 billion worldwide. If “The Odyssey” keeps its current pace and finds a big audience in China, it could pass that mark and become the highest-grossing R-rated film ever made.
The film is also on track to become one of Imax’s biggest hits of all time. That said, one record looks tough to touch. James Cameron’s “Avatar” set the all-time Imax benchmark back in 2009 with $270 million from Imax screens alone, a number that still stands well above what most films manage to reach.
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