There are plenty of reasons to be excited about The Odyssey, but perhaps the biggest one is that Christopher Nolan is at the helm. The Oscar-winning director could sell out entire showings regardless of the story he decides to adapt on the big screen. However, his upcoming project also has an all-star cast with the likes of Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Jon Bernthal, Anne Hathaway, and more. As if that wasn't enough, it will also feature one of the most ambitious depictions of Greek mythology ever.
The result is a must-watch theatrical adventure no one wants to miss, and that idea has been reflected in early box office numbers. The Odyssey may not be out yet, but it is already shattering records as if they were Troy's defenses.
The Odyssey broke a record for the most tickets sold in BFI Imax in 24 hours
As reported by Variety, The Odyssey has sold 28,000 tickets during its first 24 hours on sale at BFI Imax—the UK's largest screen. This amounts to a total gross of £750,000 or $1 million, which is more than double the previous record held by Dune: Part Two at £366,000 ($490,000). To put that number into perspective, the last movie released by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer, earned £254,000 or $340,000 during that same timeframe on the same screen, which is a third of The Odyssey's sales.
The true odyssey will be to track how many box office records Nolan's upcoming movie will be able to break.
The Odyssey also made history when US tickets went on sale a full year in advance for special IMAX 70mm formats across 20+ locations. Approximately 95% of tickets sold out within an hour, resulting in a total gross of $1.5 million. Scalpers were then selling a few of these tickets on eBay for up to $400, which is an unfortunate situation that highlights the anticipation surrounding Nolan's upcoming epic.
Oppenheimer grossed nearly $976 million at the global box office despite going head-to-head with Greta Gerwig's Barbie, which earned a whopping $1.4 billion. However, The Odyssey won't have such fierce competition initially, as it won't be until Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases two weeks later that a big contender will take the spotlight. So it isn't far-fetched to assume that Nolan's upcoming project can surpass the one billion mark.
Early forecasts suggest that The Odyssey could earn $118 million during its opening weekend, putting it near the opening of The Dark Knight, which generated $158.4 million in sales. Incidentally, both movies have the same reported budget of $250 million, which is a huge investment for any studio. However, a project centered around Batman is a much safer bet, and it only goes to show how much Nolan has become a household name over the years.
Fortunately, we don't have to wait long before The Odyssey hits theaters to discover just how much it grosses. But to help the wait feel a bit shorter, you can always check out our top 5 Christopher Nolan films to catch up on before his next adventure.
The Odyssey will be released on July 17, 2026.
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