‘The Odyssey’ Already Rakes in Massive Global Earnings Before Opening Weekend

Christopher Nolan has dedicated the past year to transforming ‘The Odyssey’ into a true global cinematic event, and the initial figures coming in from international markets indicate that this strategy is yielding impressive results. Universal has released the film across the same international territories that helped ‘Oppenheimer’ achieve success in 2023, banking on the strength of Nolan’s brand to resonate just as powerfully outside North America as it does at home.

It seems that gamble is paying off. According to Deadline, the film’s international total reached 22.2 million dollars within its first two days overseas, a remarkable achievement when compared to ‘Oppenheimer’, which earned 15.9 million dollars during the same Wednesday and Thursday window three years ago.

Breaking down the overseas earnings, ‘The Odyssey’ made 3.3 million dollars on Wednesday and surged to 18.9 million dollars on Thursday, creating significant momentum as it heads into its official opening weekend. Coupled with the 17.6 million dollars from Thursday preview screenings in the U.S., ‘The Odyssey’ has already surpassed a global total of 39.8 million dollars before the weekend box office figures are even reported.

Notably, the international rollout for ‘The Odyssey’ is much larger than that of ‘Oppenheimer’. The film is currently showing in 73 markets across over 13,300 locations and 25,100 screens, compared to the 11,300 sites and 17,500 screens that ‘Oppenheimer’ launched in during 2023. This gives ‘The Odyssey’ ample opportunity to build on its early success.

Looking ahead to the full opening weekend, projections indicate a range of outcomes that will largely depend on how the ongoing FIFA World Cup final influences moviegoing habits on Sunday. Domestically, the film is tracking towards a three-day weekend total of 110 million to 125 million dollars, while overseas estimates range from 120 million to 140 million dollars over a five-day opening period.

This overseas range carries significant implications. Achieving the upper end would position ‘The Odyssey’ to compete with ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and its 131 million dollar overseas debut, which has long been regarded as the largest international opening for any Nolan film.

Globally, projections suggest a worldwide opening between 230 million and 265 million dollars. Even the lower end of this range would comfortably surpass ‘Oppenheimer’s 180.4 million dollar global debut, making ‘The Odyssey’ Nolan’s largest non-Batman opening by a considerable margin. The high end could even push the film past ‘The Dark Knight’s 252.6 million dollar debut, potentially positioning it as the second biggest global opening of Nolan’s career, trailing only ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and its 291.9 million dollar debut.

Interest in the film seems unaffected by the World Cup, as research from entertainment tracking firm JustWatch indicates that 60 percent of surveyed individuals across six countries plan to watch both ‘The Odyssey’ and the World Cup final during the same weekend.

With no major studio competition for the next two weeks, ‘The Odyssey’ appears well-positioned to fully leverage this early momentum as final weekend figures come in. Do you think ‘The Odyssey’ can actually surpass ‘The Dark Knight’ for Nolan’s second largest global opening ever? Are you planning to watch the film or the World Cup final first? Share your thoughts in the comments.