“The Odyssey” didn’t need a Trojan Horse to break into the top of Friday’s box office charts.
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” earned $51 million on Friday from 3,919 North American screens. Early estimates had the saga grossing $90 million to $100 million by Sunday, but after a stellar opening day, forecasts have the film climbing as high as $120 million. “The Odyssey” will soon become the third film in 2026 to open above $100 million after “Toy Story 5” ($159 million) and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” ($131 million). “The Odyssey” carries a hefty $250 million price tag.
An $120 million opening for “The Odyssey” would rank as Nolan’s best since “The Dark Knight Rises,” which debuted to a staggering $160 million in 2012. Weekend one projections for “The Odyssey” blow past Nolan’s 2023 best picture winner, “Oppenheimer,” which made $82 million over its opening weekend and powered to $975 million by the end of its run. Also, with $51 million on Friday, “The Odyssey” has already outgrossed the entire opening weekend of Nolan’s 2014 opus “Interstellar” ($47.5 million).
“The Odyssey,” based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic, chronicles the tale of Odysseus, who must make the arduous journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, leading an all-star cast of Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal and John Leguizamo.
