The Odyssey, Sir Christopher Nolan's new epic adaptation of Homer's Odyssey, has already broken an incredible new movie record - marking a major milestone for the Oppenheimer director.18:39, 20 Jul 2026Updated 18:39, 20 Jul 2026The Odyssey has broken an incredible new film record, marking a huge career milestone for acclaimed movie director Sir Christopher Nolan. Nolan’s highly anticipated movie, featuring a star-studded A-list cast including Zendaya, Tom Holland, Matt Damon and Robert Pattinson, has been released to critical acclaim.‌The Odyssey, which is an adaptation of Homer’s Ancient Greek epic, with Matt Damon starring as Odysseus, the Greek King of Ithaca, as he makes his perilous 10-year journey home after the Trojan war, is the first ever feature film to be shot entirely with Imax film cameras.‌Released into cinemas on Friday, the film has brought in a huge $264.1million (£196m) worldwide this weekend, surpassing the $249million (£185million) opening of The Dark Knight Rises (2012), which went on to be the director’s highest ever grossing film, exceeding $1billion.‌In a huge win for Nolan, he has also secured his largest international opening ever as The Odyssey brought in $139million (£104m) overseas.Again, this puts it ahead of both The Dark Knight Rises and Oppenheimer, which garnered $180million (£134million) in 2023 after opening in 73 countries and 25,600 cinema screens.‌In another major accolade for Nolan, his latest blockbuster has been his biggest opener in 48 different countries, including France, Brazil, Italy and India, and placing it in second place behind Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) as the second-best performance for an R-rated movie abroad.It doesn’t stop there - The Odyssey is also the highest-grossing opening weekend for a live-action film and non sequel this year, behind only The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Toy Story 5.The film has broken the BFI (British Film Institute) Imax record for an opening weekend grossing £219,867 from Friday through to Sunday.‌The venue, located in London’s Waterloo, has already sold 82,000 tickets for the film - grossing £2,169,882, making it the cinema’s third highest grossing film ever - only three days in.‌Despite it being the third-highest grossing film, Nolan’s two other films take spots number one and two, with The Last Jedi grossing £216,454, and Oppenheimer with £207,677.Across eight weeks, 173 consecutive Imax 70mm screenings have entirely sold out, with audience members travelling to London from as far afield as Singapore, Los Angeles and Toronto to see the film.Additional dates are expected to be added in response to unprecedented global demand, the BFI IMAX said on Monday.‌“As the only cinema in the UK to hold a complete archive of Christopher Nolan’s IMAX 70mm filmography, now including The Odyssey, we are proud to be the home of Christopher Nolan on film,” said BFI IMAX program manager Madeline Mullett.“Across the BFI, our commitment to preserving and celebrating celluloid, alongside the filmmakers who continue to champion this format, speaks to the enduring power of storytelling and the unique communal experience of seeing film on film.‌“The extraordinary demand for our Imax 70mm presentation of The Odyssey, experienced as intended by the filmmakers, is ultimate proof of the appetite audiences have for cinema at its most authentic.”Introducing the world premiere at the venue, Sir Christopher Nolan said: “This is a very special venue for us, it was in this very venue that I met the person to whom the film is dedicated, my friend and Imax mentor, David Keighley.“I wish he were with us here tonight, but I know he’d be very proud of us and very proud of the work that Patricia (Keighley) and her whole team has done finishing the film.Article continues below“And very excited for you guys to be the first audience in the world to see it projected in this wonderful theatre on this wonderful screen from an Imax film print.”Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.