Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is doing something blockbusters rarely do, is holding. In its second weekend at the domestic box office, the film is tracking for approximately $84.5 million, a decline of just 32 percent from its massive opening weekend of $123.5 million. That kind of hold is extraordinarily rare for a film of this scale, and it is already raising serious questions about just how big this run can get.
The Odyssey opened to $123.5 million domestically and $263.7 million globally in its first weekend. Heading into the second weekend, the film is expected to bring in around $84.5 million domestically making its running domestic total approximately $208 million after just ten days. Its global cumulative total stands at $322 million and climbing. IMAX screens alone accounted for 23 percent of the film’s opening weekend haul, a remarkable figure that underlines just how much of the audience came specifically for the premium experience.
A 32 percent second-weekend decline is genuinely unusual for a blockbuster of this size. Most major films drop anywhere between 50 and 65 percent in their second weekend, particularly when new competition arrives. This weekend, no studio was willing to open a new wide release against The Odyssey. That decision essentially a collective step back from the biggest studios in Hollywood tells you everything about the respect the industry has for Nolan’s film right now. The next major test comes next weekend when Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day starring The Odyssey’s very own Tom Holland and Zendaya arrives in theatres.
One of the most interesting revelations from the opening weekend data is the audience breakdown. Half of the people who saw ‘The Odyssey’ in its first weekend were between the ages of 18 and 34. That is a striking number for a nearly three hour film based on an ancient Greek epic. It speaks to Nolan’s continued ability to bring younger audiences to the cinema at a moment when Gen Z filmmakers, the directors behind Obsession and Backrooms have been the surprise breakout story of the summer.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Nolan spoke about one of the most unexpected elements of The Odyssey, its horror sequences. He said the film has very much whetted his appetite for more. He also spoke warmly about both Obsession and Backrooms,saying of the latter that it is “an amazing idea” and that the film “works like a motherfucker.” Coming from the director of The Dark Knight and Inception, that is high praise and an interesting signal about where his creative interests may be heading next.
Oppenheimer, Nolan’s previous film, earned $952 million worldwide and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Based on The Odyssey‘s current trajectory, its opening weekend total, its second weekend hold, and the global markets still building , the film is on pace to surpass that total and become the highest-grossing film of Nolan’s entire career. Some industry analysts are already projecting a worldwide run that crosses $1 billion.
Three other films opened this weekend “Motor City, Her Private Hell and Hadestown” but none of them came close to threatening The Odyssey‘s position at the top. The real competition arrives next weekend when Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens the most anticipated superhero film of the year, and one that will take a large number of screens away from every other film currently in theatres.
For The Odyssey, the question now is simple, how much can it make before Spider-Man arrives? Based on everything the second weekend is showing, the answer might be more than anyone expected.
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