‘The Odyssey’ Surpasses Oppenheimer and Eyes Records Held By Deadpool and Joker

Christopher Nolan’s box office achievements have always drawn attention, and now ‘The Odyssey’ is transforming Thursday night into a remarkable historical moment. Industry analysts have been speculating for weeks on whether this three-hour mythological epic could match the excitement surrounding ‘Oppenheimer’, and early ticket sales indicate that Nolan may have exceeded expectations.

The comparisons began with Nolan’s previous works but quickly expanded to a broader context. ‘The Odyssey’ generated approximately $15 million during Thursday night previews, surpassing ‘Oppenheimer’s’ $10.5 million previews from three years ago, which were bolstered by large format premium screen sales during the Barbenheimer phenomenon. This figure also marks the highest previews for a live-action title this year, outpacing Lionsgate’s ‘Michael’, which earned $12.6 million in previews before achieving a $97.2 million domestic opening.

What makes this even more historic is the comparison to Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 5’, which had previously set the year’s record with $17.5 million in Thursday previews, marking the best single night for any film in 2026 and the second-best preview number for an animated release. With ‘The Odyssey’ landing around $15 million, Nolan’s epic is closing in on that record, despite being in a completely different genre and rating category.

The comparisons for R-rated films are even more compelling. ‘Deadpool 2’ previously held the record for R-rated previews in 2018 with $18.6 million, surpassing the $13.5 million set by ‘It’ the year prior. That record was later broken by ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ in 2024, which earned an estimated $38.5 million from Thursday previews alone, becoming an even larger box office success.

With ‘The Odyssey’s’ $15 million, it is well-positioned to challenge ‘Deadpool 2’s’ long-standing number two spot on that all-time list, a remarkable achievement for a Greek mythology epic competing against superhero blockbusters.

This preview success is already leading to optimistic predictions for the weekend. Early estimates from Deadline suggest the film’s domestic opening could range between $85 million and $100 million, with an additional $110 million anticipated from international markets, potentially bringing the global debut to over $200 million. A domestic opening in this range would mark Nolan’s biggest debut since ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, an impressive feat for a film without comic book or franchise branding.

Whether ‘The Odyssey’ ultimately matches or falls short of those Deadpool figures, the fact that a three-hour R-rated adaptation of a 2,700-year-old poem is even part of the conversation speaks volumes about Nolan’s current standing in Hollywood. Odysseus took ten years to return home in the original tale; at this pace, Nolan may not need nearly that long to turn a profit.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!