Christopher Nolan Achieves Record Opening Day with 'The Odyssey' in Italy

Christopher Nolan’s box office success extends beyond the United States this week. While audiences in the US were still queuing for Thursday previews, ‘The Odyssey’ had already set a remarkable new milestone for the director across the ocean, with European numbers making just as much of an impact as the domestic figures.

This milestone was achieved in Italy, where the film premiered a full day ahead of its US release. Nolan’s ‘Odissea’, distributed by Universal, wrapped up its first twenty-four hours in Italian theaters with €2,181,715 ($2.50 million) and 273,068 admissions, a debut that significantly revitalized what had been a sluggish summer for Italian cinema. This single-day performance surpassed what many films achieve over several weeks.

Screenshot 2026 07 17 at 15 38 03 The Odyssey 2026 Rotten Tomatoes

The impressive figures also highlight how ‘Odissea’ compares to Nolan’s previous works in Italy. The film outperformed ‘Oppenheimer’, which earned €2,050,228 ($2.35 million) on its opening day, marking the highest debut for a Nolan film in the country. Notably, ‘Oppenheimer’ was released in 473 cinemas back in August 2023, while ‘Odissea’ launched in 551 locations, averaging €3,960 ($4,534) per venue.

And that’s not just in the US! #ChristopherNolan sets sail for an ALL TIMER opening in Europe, after kicking off in #Italy’s #BoxOffice on THU with SPECTACULAR $2.5M & 273k admissions, beating #Oppenheimer’s $2.2M as the BIGGEST Opening Day in Nolan’s career locally.

#2 BIGGEST… pic.twitter.com/5LFTShcK4a

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) July 17, 2026

Only one film released in 2026 has surpassed Nolan’s opening day figures. ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ still holds the record for the year’s best opening day in Italy, with €2,718,402 ($3.11 million), placing ‘Odissea’ in second place for the year. It also outperformed other notable releases like ‘Barbie’, which opened to €2,160,957 ($2.47 million) on its own Thursday release in 2023. The breakdown of the Italian debut shows that the film earned €87,112 ($99,743) in IMAX, €52,801 ($60,457) in 70mm screenings, and €147,007 ($168,323) from showings in its original English language track.

No other film in the Italian market came close on the same day. ‘Minions & Monsters’ took second place with just €100,286 ($114,827), while ‘Toy Story 5’ trailed further behind with €39,299 ($45,007), despite having a larger overall haul since its June 18 release. Industry analysts at MeteoCinema project that ‘Odissea’ could ultimately reach a total of €25.9 million ($29.66 million) in Italy, a figure that would rank it among the country’s biggest releases of the year.

With US previews also ranking among the best of the year, Nolan’s mythological epic is demonstrating that its appeal transcends borders. With a record-breaking debut in Italy and a domestic preview haul that is competing with some of the largest R-rated openings in history, ‘The Odyssey’ is shaping up to be a truly global box office phenomenon.

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