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Christopher Nolan‘s box office journey with The Odyssey looks to be one for the books, as Universal Pictures‘ star-studded adaptation of the Greek classical mythological tale gets off to a rousing start in its opening weekend.
Starring Matt Damon as the heroic Odysseus, the epic feature is fending off competition with $51.2 million on Friday from 3,900 North American screens, including Thursday previews. Earning an A CinemaScore from audiences, the film is eyeing a $120 million-plus frame, which would make it 2026’s biggest live-action opening, with only Toy Story 5 ($159 million) and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($131 million) debuting above it. The Odyssey is also set to claim the top R-rated opening of the year and Universal’s highest weekend launch ever for an R-rated movie.
Globally, The Odyssey appears headed for $257.8 million for the summer weekend, with $137.3 million from 73 international markets.
This marks an even stronger start than initially projected for the film that carries a production budget of $250 million, as the studio was targeting a domestic opening in the range of mid-$80 million to upwards of $100 million. Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron star in the story of Odysseus (Damon) on his tumultuous trip home after the Trojan War to reclaim his throne as the king of Ithaca and reunite with his wife Penelope (Hathaway). Nolan and Emma Thomas produce for Syncopy.
