Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is shaping up to be one of the biggest box office launches of the year, with early projections pointing to a global debut of around US$200 million.
According to Deadline, the epic is expected to open with US$85 million to US$100 million in North America, alongside another US$110 million from 73 international markets. If those estimates hold, the film would surpass the US$200 million mark worldwide in its opening weekend.
The film arrives with high expectations following the success of Nolan’s Oscar-winning ‘Oppenheimer’, which opened to US$181.1 million globally before becoming one of the director’s highest-grossing films. Unlike that release, however, ‘The Odyssey’ faces little competition from other major studio releases during its opening weekend.
Based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic, the film features an ensemble cast led by Matt Damon, alongside Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Jon Bernthal and Lupita Nyong’o.
Large-format screenings are expected to play a key role in the film’s opening. Shot for IMAX, ‘The Odyssey’ has seen strong advance demand for premium screenings, with some 70mm IMAX showtimes selling out well ahead of release.
Advance ticket sales are also reported to be robust. However, it remains unclear how many of those bookings are for opening weekend compared with later screenings.
Universal is releasing the film in many of the same international markets that launched ‘Oppenheimer’, with Italy and Greece joining the day-and-date rollout this time. South Korea, Japan and China will receive the film at a later date.
The United Kingdom is expected to be one of the film’s strongest overseas markets, despite the FIFA World Cup taking place during the release window. France, Italy and India are also being closely watched after delivering strong results for ‘Oppenheimer’.
Running for three hours and carrying an R rating, ‘The Odyssey’ continues Nolan’s preference for large-scale storytelling and practical filmmaking. Whether it matches the long theatrical run of ‘Oppenheimer’ remains to be seen, but early projections suggest audiences are ready to return for another Nolan spectacle.
