Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Brings in $124.5 Million at the Box Office on Opening Weekend

Hollywood spent two decades de-risking itself by betting on intellectual property rather than people. The franchise became the attraction, eclipsing the directors and movie stars who once drew audiences to theaters. The stars became Harry Potter, Optimus Prime, Iron Man and Elsa.

Christopher Nolan has been a rare exception, and the No. 1 opening for “The Odyssey” over the weekend — turning Homer’s 3,000-year-old poem into an instant blockbuster — underscored the extraordinary degree to which he himself has become the attraction.

“The Odyssey,” the first commercial feature filmed completely in IMAX, was on track to sell $124.5 million in tickets in the United States and Canada from Thursday through Sunday, according to Rentrak, a film data service. It will easily be the biggest domestic opening of the year for a live-action film. Among all 2026 movies, it will rank third, behind “Toy Story 5” ($160 million) and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” ($132 million).

A majority of ticket buyers cited Mr. Nolan as the primary reason they bought tickets, according to PostTrak, a film industry research service. The film’s ensemble cast ranked second. Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page and Tom Holland have roles of varying sizes.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/19/business/media/the-odyssey-box-office-christopher-nolan.html