The Odyssey nears $40 million worldwide as Nolan opens big
Universal’s Christopher Nolan epic has reached $39.8 million globally in its first days, according to Deadline, with strong starts in France, Australia and Italy.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has raced to $39.8 million worldwide in its first days of release, according to Deadline, putting Universal’s Homer adaptation on course for a big global debut.
Deadline reported that the total includes $17.6 million from North American previews and $22.2 million from overseas markets. Thursday alone brought in $18.9 million globally, according to the report.
The film is opening this weekend across 73 international markets, with more than 13,300 overseas locations and 25,100 screens, Deadline reported. China, Japan, Korea and CIS territories are not included in that rollout.
That footprint is larger than Nolan’s Oppenheimer had in the same markets, where it launched across 11,300 sites and 17,500 screens, according to Deadline.
Premium screens are doing plenty of rowing
The overseas Imax count stands at 440 screens, including seven Imax 70mm screens, Deadline reported. Two of those 70mm Imax screens opened in time for Nolan’s latest release.
The film is also playing at 45 sites showing a 70mm print and 56 sites with 35mm prints, according to the report. Deadline said the first wave of markets includes a wide premium-format spread, including 4DX, D-Box, Dolby Vision and other premium large-format screens.
Deadline reported that expectations heading into the weekend were for a $200 million worldwide start. One possible worry was Sunday’s World Cup final, especially in the UK, which the outlet described as a key Nolan market. With Spain and Argentina in the final, Deadline said there appeared to be less concern about a major hit to ticket sales.
JustWatch, cited by Deadline, said 60% of entertainment viewers in its survey planned to see both The Odyssey in theaters and the World Cup Final over the weekend. The survey covered 3,210 people from May through July 2026 across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and North America.
France, Italy and Australia post strong starts
In France, The Odyssey reached nearly $5 million from 416,000 admissions, Deadline reported. Thursday accounted for $2.4 million from 228,000 admissions, 97% ahead of Oppenheimer admissions on the comparable day. The film ranked No. 1 there with 40% of total admissions, according to the report.
Australia had a running total of $3.7 million through Friday, according to Deadline. The outlet said Thursday was the biggest opening day of the year there, the sixth-biggest Universal opening day ever in the market, and Nolan’s biggest non-superhero opening day behind The Dark Knight Rises.
Italy delivered $2.5 million on Thursday, Deadline reported, with the movie taking the No. 1 spot and 88% of the total box office. The report said that marked Nolan’s biggest opening day in Italy, Universal’s biggest opening day there and the market’s biggest July opening.
Mexico opened Thursday with $1.5 million, according to Deadline, making it the biggest Thursday ever for a Nolan film in the market and 70% above Oppenheimer. Germany also opened to $1.5 million on Thursday, ranking No. 1 with a 54% share of the total box office.
In Brazil, Deadline reported $883,000 on Thursday, 85% ahead of Oppenheimer. The outlet said that gave Nolan his biggest opening day in the market and the biggest Imax opening day of the year to date there.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.