The Odyssey IMAX sales lift stock as record year stays in sight
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey delivered $52 million for IMAX in its opening weekend, helping ease worries about its 2026 box office goal.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
3 min read
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is turning into an IMAX feast, with the film’s IMAX sales helping the company reassure investors that a record year is still within reach.
IMAX shares rose more than 8% Thursday after the company said it remained on pace for $1.4 billion in global box office this year, CNBC reported. That target had come under fresh scrutiny after Netflix and Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew moved from a November release to February 2027.
Universal’s The Odyssey has helped calm those nerves. IMAX said the movie brought in $52 million globally on its screens during opening weekend. The company’s locations made up less than 1% of total screens, yet accounted for 20% of the movie’s worldwide debut.
The opening was also well ahead of Nolan’s last IMAX monster. According to IMAX, The Odyssey opened 47% higher than Oppenheimer, which went on to collect more than $190 million in IMAX theaters during its 2023 run.
Why are The Odyssey IMAX sales such a big deal?
The numbers matter because IMAX is counting on premium-screen demand to push it to a record global box office year. A single film delivering a large share of its worldwide opening through a small slice of screens gives investors a clear reason to believe the format still has pull.
Rich Gelfond, IMAX’s chief executive, told investors on Thursday’s earnings call that the film added $11 million on Monday and $10.6 million on Tuesday. He said Tuesday’s result was the best Tuesday performance in the company’s history.
Gelfond also told investors that advance sales for the film’s second weekend would rank as one of IMAX’s largest opening weekends by themselves. He said the figures showed the company was “just getting warmed up.”
What movies are coming next to IMAX?
IMAX’s 2026 slate is giving the company more ammunition. Still due on its screens this year are Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, Tom Cruise’s Digger, Godzilla Minus One, David Fincher’s The Adventures of Cliff Booth, and Paramount’s Street Fighter.
The Adventures of Cliff Booth stars Brad Pitt and is based on Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, according to CNBC.
Warner Bros. and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three is expected to close out the year for IMAX. The company said the first Dune made $61 million in IMAX theaters during the late-pandemic period, while Dune: Part Two reached $147 million globally.
Gelfond told investors that the box office run is also feeding demand from theater operators. IMAX installed 38 systems worldwide in the second quarter, up from 36 during the same period a year earlier.
Natasha Fernandes, IMAX’s chief financial officer, said on the earnings call that the second-quarter total was the company’s highest for that period in a decade. IMAX installed 19 systems in the first quarter and is tracking toward 160 to 175 installations by the end of 2026.
The company currently has a backlog of 421 contracts to build screens. Gelfond said IMAX still sees room for global expansion and is working to make the format more valuable for creators, studios, exhibitors and audiences.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.