# Nolan’s Odyssey earns $124m opening, Nolan’s biggest since 2012

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/box-office-the-odyssey-stuns-with-124-million-opening-weekend-third-biggest-debut-of-the-year/
- Published: 2026-07-19T19:32:08+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-20T01:47:47+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/the-odyssey-box-office-christopher-nolan-opening-weekend-shatters-expectations-1236815861/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- "The Odyssey" opened to $124.5m domestically, Nolan's best since 2012
- Worldwide debut hit $264.1m, Nolan's biggest global opening ever
- Matt Damon-led epic scored 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and an "A" CinemaScore

## Summary

Christopher Nolan's epic "The Odyssey" opened to $124.5 million domestically, far exceeding expectations and marking the director's biggest debut since 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises". It stands as the third-largest domestic opening of 2026, behind only "Toy Story 5" and "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie", a notable achievement given the film is a nearly three-hour R-rated adventure, a genre and rating combination that typically limits ticket sales.

Adapted from Homer's ancient poem, the film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside an ensemble including Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and Charlize Theron, and has drawn strong reviews with a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an "A" CinemaScore. Internationally it added $139.6 million from 73 markets, taking its worldwide total to $264.1 million, Nolan's biggest global opening to date, ahead of previous hits including "The Dark Knight Rises", "The Dark Knight" and "Oppenheimer". Universal spent $250 million producing the film and a further $125 million marketing it, and with no major new releases until "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" on 31 July, the studio expects the film to sustain a lengthy theatrical run.

## Coverage

- [Variety: Nolan’s Odyssey earns $124m opening, Nolan’s biggest since 2012](https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/the-odyssey-box-office-christopher-nolan-opening-weekend-shatters-expectations-1236815861/)
- [The Hollywood Reporter: ‘The Odyssey’ Seizes $124M Opening in Box Office Triumph](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-odyssey-box-office-christopher-nolan-opening-success-1236651646/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.