In a box-office milestone fit for the legacy of a 3,000-year-old literary epic, Christopher Nolan‘s big-screen adaptation of The Odyssey has collected US$639.6 million after just two weekends of release. Of the haul, US$353.2 million came from international markets, with US$128 million generated over the latest weekend (end-June).
It’s a notably remarkable feat for several reasons — in addition to its R rating and the less common sword-and-sandal genre undertaking, especially in modern cinema, the film clocks in at nearly three hours long, and already ranks among the top five highest-grossing Hollywood releases of the year before opening in major foreign markets such as China, Japan, and Korea. Domestically, the US$284.4 million gross surpassed Curry Barker’s Obsession (US$259.8 million) to become the year’s highest-grossing R-rated movie, and currently trails behind 2023’s Oppenheimer (US$330 million).
As the first feature shot entirely on IMAX cameras, The Odyssey also racked up US$140 million from IMAX screenings globally, including US$38 million in its sophomore outing, and is now the second-fastest title in the company’s history to surpass US$100 million following Avengers: Endgame. Should the momentum continue, it will join The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Michael, and Toy Story 5 in the highly coveted billion-dollar club of 2026.
The other major contributing factor to its success is star power. Led by Matt Damon as Odysseus, its cast features Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, and John Leguizamo. Adapted from Homer’s poem, which would lay the foundation for the hero’s journey narrative structure, it follows Odysseus and his eternal, perilous voyage home after the Trojan War.
Elsewhere, the latest instalment of Disney’s beloved animated franchise shows that old-school toys are still in fashion with a global total of US$1.022 billion — the highest release of the year to date. In the coming days, the sequel will likely dethrone 2019’s Toy Story 4 as the biggest title in the series, which sits at US$1.07 billion.
After their turns in The Odyssey, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Bernthal, who play Telemachus, Athena, and Menelaus, respectively, are set to swing big into the box office again with Spider-Man: Brand New Day next weekend as Spidey, MJ, and The Punisher. For now, Nolan’s title remains the box-office conqueror, with the live-action Moana, Toy Story 5, Minions & Monsters, and Bleecker Street’s Hadestown: The Musical, the only non-holdover entry, rounding out the top five domestically, in that order.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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Kevin Low
