Christopher Nolan's latest epic The Odyssey has sailed to a monumental box office victory, earning $264.1 million worldwide in its opening weekend. This surpasses the $249 million debut of The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, making it Nolan's biggest opening ever.
Record-breaking global performance
The film's international haul of $139.6 million marks Nolan's largest overseas opening, landing in 73 territories across 25,600 screens. It became Nolan's biggest opener in 48 countries, including France, Italy, Brazil, and India, and ranks as the second-best R-rated international opening behind Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).
Universal Pictures' president of distribution, Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, praised the film's universal appeal: 'With The Odyssey, we had the extraordinary opportunity to unite moviegoers worldwide around a story that has resonated across cultures for centuries. Christopher Nolan's passion, vision and unique cinematic voice consistently drive anticipation and attendance on a truly global scale.'
Financial success amid controversy
With a production budget of $250 million and marketing costs of $125 million, The Odyssey has already broken even thanks to its strong debut. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, and Charlize Theron.
Despite online backlash over casting choices—particularly Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and Elliot Page as Sinon—Nolan defended his decisions. Nyong'o told Elle: 'This is a mythological story. I'm very supportive of Chris' intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling. Our cast is representative of the world.'
Critical acclaim and review-bombing
The film holds a 95% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 88 on Metacritic. Critics have called it a 'masterpiece' and 'the best release of the year.' However, it has faced suspected review-bombing, with 13.9% of RT users giving it the lowest score despite 37% giving top marks.
Nolan responded to criticism of Page's casting, telling Rolling Stone: 'We worked on Inception some years ago. I felt with his character in The Odyssey, he brings something really special to it. You're looking to put a face on the tragedy of war. And I think he did an incredible job.'
A technical and narrative triumph
The Odyssey is the first film shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film cameras. The Daily Telegraph called it a 'fearsome and trailblazing machine of a movie,' while The Independent hailed it as a 'blockbuster of literally unprecedented scale.' Metro's five-star review noted: 'Nolan manages to reassert both the humanity and brutality of this story to bring something truly timeless to the big screen.'
