Nolan's Odyssey opens with $264 million worldwide

Director Christopher Nolan’s epic film adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey” has delivered a monumental box office performance, earning an estimated $264.1 million worldwide in its opening weekend of July 17-19, 2026. The film, starring Matt Damon as the Greek hero Odysseus, marks Nolan’s largest global opening weekend to date and the biggest live-action debut of the year in North America, where it earned $124.5 million.

The project, Nolan’s first since the Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer” in 2023, reportedly cost $250 million to produce and has already surpassed that budget. Industry analysts attribute the success to Nolan’s unique ability to transform an ancient story into a major cinematic event, driven by his reputation as a filmmaker and the film’s groundbreaking technical presentation. “The Odyssey” is the first feature film ever shot entirely using IMAX film cameras, a fact that fueled significant demand for premium format screenings. More than half of the opening weekend audience saw the film in an enhanced format such as 70mm IMAX, with IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond reporting a record $50 million in advance ticket sales for the format.

Audience reception has been exceptionally...