The Odyssey box office hits $652 million after 10 days
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has reached $652 million worldwide, with Imax sales and a China release still adding fuel.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey box office run has reached $652 million worldwide after just 10 days, according to Variety, putting the R-rated, nearly three-hour epic among the year’s biggest Hollywood releases.
The Universal film, Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient poem with Matt Damon starring as Odysseus, has made $289 million in North America and $362 million overseas, Variety reported. That total already ranks it as the sixth-highest-grossing Hollywood movie of 2026 worldwide.
The pace is striking because the film is not a sequel or superhero title. Variety reported that audience demand has been especially strong in premium formats, with Imax alone accounting for $140 million globally across the first two weekends.
How much has The Odyssey made at the box office?
The Odyssey has grossed $652 million worldwide after 10 days, including $289 million domestically and $362 million internationally, according to Variety. Its second weekend in North America brought in $90 million, down 27% from its $123.5 million opening.
That second-weekend figure was bigger than the opening weekends of several 2026 hits cited by Variety, including The Devil Wears Prada 2 at $76 million and Project Hail Mary at $80 million. Variety said only three other films this year opened above $90 million: Toy Story 5, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Michael.
The hold also puts Nolan in rare company with himself. Variety noted that The Odyssey made more in its second weekend than Oppenheimer made in its first, when the 2023 historical drama opened to $82 million before finishing with $330 million in North America and $975 million worldwide.
Imax is driving the big-screen rush
Imax has been a major part of the film’s run. Variety reported that The Odyssey became the second-fastest film to cross $100 million in Imax, reaching the mark in 10 days. Only Avengers: Endgame got there faster, according to the report.
Imax CEO Richard Gelfond said over the weekend, according to Variety, that The Odyssey had moved “from hit blockbuster to global cultural event.”
The film’s $140 million Imax haul is already closing in on Oppenheimer, which ended its full theatrical run with $180 million from the format, Variety reported. The report said many Imax showtimes for The Odyssey are sold out into September.
Why China could matter next
The film has not opened in China yet. Variety reported that it is scheduled to arrive there on Aug. 14, with an expected rollout on nearly 800 Imax screens and thousands of regular screens.
Maoyan Pro, the Chinese ticketing agency, recorded more than 252,000 “want to see” registrations for The Odyssey by July 24, ahead of other upcoming Hollywood releases tracked by the platform, according to Variety. Tickets in mainland China had not yet gone on sale at the time of the report.
Nolan’s strongest China result remains Interstellar, which made $139 million there, Variety reported. His more recent films posted smaller totals in the market: Oppenheimer made $61 million, Tenet made $66 million and Dunkirk made $50 million.
Variety also reported that, depending on how long the film holds and how China responds, The Odyssey could challenge The Dark Knight at $1.008 billion and The Dark Knight Rises at $1.08 billion as Nolan’s top-grossing film. It could also make a run at Deadpool & Wolverine, which Variety listed at $1.33 billion, as the biggest R-rated release in history.
Rentrak data cited by Variety shows the film has already outgrossed the 2026 totals of Warner Bros., Sony and Paramount individually. PostTrak data cited by Variety found that audiences named Nolan as the main reason they bought a ticket.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.