‘The Odyssey’ Is Surging Internationally, Could Overtake Oppenheimer’s Record

Christopher Nolan’s films have always had a strong impact in international markets, particularly in Italy, where they often exceed even the most optimistic studio forecasts. With ‘The Odyssey’ now screening across the country, early indicators suggest this release could be on track to achieve something truly historic for the director in this region.

The film’s momentum kicked off impressively. According to Deadline, ‘The Odyssey’ debuted in Italy with $2.5 million on its opening Thursday, capturing the number one position with an astonishing 88 percent share of the domestic box office that day. This figure marked the largest single-day opening of Nolan’s career in Italy, Universal’s biggest opening day ever in the country, and the highest July opening Italy has ever seen.

Instead of waning after its initial success, the film’s momentum has reportedly continued to build. Audience reactions in Italy have been overwhelmingly positive, with the film’s Saturday gross reaching $3.4 million, a remarkable increase of over 32 percent from a strong Friday. This surge indicates genuine enthusiasm from viewers rather than a typical front-loaded opening that quickly declines.

This growth has propelled the film’s cumulative total in Italy to $8.5 million and approximately 894,000 admissions within its first three days. To put this into perspective, Nolan’s 2023 best picture winner ‘Oppenheimer’ earned $31 million throughout its entire theatrical run in Italy, a figure that already represented a significant achievement for the director in that market.

Depending on how the ongoing FIFA World Cup final influences Sunday attendance across Europe, current projections suggest ‘The Odyssey’ could secure a four-day opening weekend in Italy between $11 million and $13 million. This range would place the film in direct competition with ‘Oppenheimer’s $12.7 million opening, which has long been considered Nolan’s largest overall opening in the Italian market, despite ‘Oppenheimer’ benefiting from a five-day opening window compared to this release.

Italy is not the only international market showcasing impressive numbers for the film. According to Deadline’s broader global tracking, ‘The Odyssey’ is expected to generate $137.3 million across 73 offshore markets, bringing its total worldwide opening to approximately $257.8 million. This would mark the third highest global opening of the year thus far and the largest international debut of Nolan’s career, surpassing both ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in this regard.

With reviews continuing to commend the film’s scale and Rotten Tomatoes scores already ranking among the best of Nolan’s career, the success emerging from Italy adds another layer to what is shaping up to be one of the defining global box office narratives of the year. Whether ‘The Odyssey’ ultimately surpasses ‘Oppenheimer’s Italian opening record may hinge on the overlap between moviegoers and World Cup viewers this weekend.

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