Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has achieved the biggest global opening weekend of his career, taking an estimated $264.1 million worldwide. The result is significant because it surpasses the launch of Oppenheimer and gives the director his strongest debut since The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, demonstrating strong cinema demand for a large-scale original epic.

The film earned $124.5 million in North America and $139.6 million internationally during its opening weekend. Adapted from Homer’s epic and starring Matt Damon, it was filmed entirely with IMAX cameras; IMAX screenings accounted for a record $52 million of the global total.