Maxance Vincent
Christopher Nolan has done it again, the internet be damned. While Elon Musk idiotically pushed fake controversies on X to drum up engagement, most critics and audience members agree: The Odyssey is something special. At the very least, it is well worth your time to witness in an IMAX temple, preferably on 70mm if possible, because it showcases images and ideas you’ve never seen before at this scale.
Because of this, the movie has broken a bunch of box office records for Christopher Nolan and for 2026 in film. People on the internet tried desperately hard to bring the film down, but the internet (almost) never equates to the real world. With a $124 million domestic opening and a $264 global opening, the movie is now Christopher Nolan’s highest-grossing opening ever, the biggest for a live-action film this year, Universal’s biggest for an R-rated film, and the biggest for actor Matt Damon.
Of course, many will already be discussing the Oscar potential for a movie like this, but here’s the thing: right now, we should celebrate the film’s commercial success, which will likely build momentum throughout the summer. Yes, yes, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is releasing in two weeks, and that will also be huge, but The Odyssey’s IMAX showings are sold out until mid-August in most cities, particularly the 70mm screenings. It’s the hottest ticket of the summer, and that’s an event that few can replicate.
We could absolutely see the movie hitting $1 billion globally, especially considering how it will leg out in the next couple of weeks. It might also give us an idea of what to expect between Marvel’s battle with IMAX, as Spider-Man: Brand New Day won’t be getting any of these screens while The Odyssey taks over, and Avengers: Doomsday is suffering from the same fate as Dune: Part Three releases on the same day.
If The Odyssey still ends up as the #1 movie of the weekend on Spider-Man‘s release day, what happens next? It might not be the case, but it’s an interesting question to ponder, because Avengers: Doomsday‘s PLF tickets will go on sale tomorrow in an attempt to eventize the movie the same way Nolan and Denis Villeneuve did for their respective films. No one will convince me this is a good idea, but I’m curious to see if ticket sites crash tomorrow, or if the same hype can be replicated…
Here is the full list of the top ten films of the weekend:
- The Odyssey (Universal): $124.0M – 3,919 theatres
- Moana (Disney): $19.0M (-56%) – 4,200 theatres
- Minions & Monsters (Universal): $14.8M (-30%) – 3,510 theatres
- Toy Story 5 (Disney): $14.8M (-22%) – 3,400 theatres
- Evil Dead Burn (Warner Bros): $5.0M (-64%) – 3,004 theatres
- The Invite (A24): $3.9M (-34%) – 2,110 theatres
- Young Washington (Angel Studios): $3.6M (-47%) – 2,275 theatres
- Obsession (Universal): $2.5M (-35%) – 1,524 theatres
- Supergirl (Warner Bros): $1.5M (-60%) – 1,572 theatres
- Disclosure Day (Universal): $1.4M (-57%) – 1,299 theatres
Source: Box Office Mojo
Hang on, The Odyssey is a hit? No! It can’t be! Elon Musk declared it woke and an insult to
weird little online freakswestern civilization! Are you suggesting he doesn’t have nearly the cultural influence he insists he does? Are you telling me he’s not a cool admirable tastemaker, but a pampered apartheid nepo baby who got his brain cooked by reactionary slop on the internet???????Crazy how the crazies turned out to be, you know…crazy.