Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Achieves $100 Million Milestone in China

Tena Milakovic
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Christopher Nolan has experienced a varied history at the Chinese box office, with some of his most notable films falling short of blockbuster status there, even while performing well globally. This made the Chinese market particularly unpredictable for the release of ‘The Odyssey.’

The film debuted across over 20,000 screens in mainland China on August 14, nearly a month after its global launch, including around 800 IMAX screens that cover about 90% of the country’s IMAX capacity. With $13.5 million already secured from advance bookings and preview screenings before the general release, the epic achieved a remarkable $36.3 million three-day opening weekend, surpassing ‘Tenet’s’ previous record of $29.8 million to become Nolan’s biggest three-day opening in the country.

Five weekends later, ‘The Odyssey’ has reached an even more significant milestone. The film has officially surpassed $100 million at the Chinese box office, adding $3.5 million over its latest three-day period, bringing its total to approximately $104.4 million after just 31 days in theaters, despite a weekend gross that was 37.5% lower than the previous frame.

Despite this drop, the film actually gained screens, playing in about 19,000 locations over the weekend, which is roughly 1,000 more than the previous week. Sunday alone brought in a solid $1.2 million, with early pre-sales indicating a potential decrease in screen count as theaters adjust capacity for newer local releases.

Crossing the $100 million mark is significant for Nolan’s box office history in China. This achievement places ‘The Odyssey’ ahead of the Chinese runs of ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Tenet,’ and ‘Inception,’ making it second only to ‘Interstellar’s’ $122 million lifetime gross in the country.

Additionally, ‘The Odyssey’ becomes the first Hollywood film that is neither a sequel nor part of an established franchise to cross $100 million in China since the pandemic altered the theatrical landscape, and only the twelfth Hollywood film overall to reach this milestone in the post-COVID era. This distinction is particularly noteworthy for an original, R-rated literary adaptation competing in a market that increasingly favors local blockbusters and established franchises.

The film has achieved this success while facing stiff competition from a busy local release schedule, including the war comedy-drama ‘Once Upon a Time in the Middle East,’ which has dominated the Chinese box office for five consecutive weekends. Maintaining a strong second or fourth position against such sustained domestic competition highlights the impressive staying power of ‘The Odyssey’ in a market that doesn’t always reward foreign films with this level of longevity.

With its worldwide total now exceeding $1.68 billion and both domestic and international figures continuing to rise, China’s contribution has become one of the most surprising success stories in ‘The Odyssey’s’ overall box office journey, especially for a director whose relationship with the territory has often been unpredictable.

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