Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Refuses To Leave Theaters as Its Box Office Voyage Rolls On

Most summer blockbusters have long since drifted off to streaming by late September, but Christopher Nolan’s epic is still sailing. ‘The Odyssey’ box office run has become one of the defining stories of the year, and even now, more than 2 months into release, the film keeps finding audiences.

Nolan’s take on Homer’s epic poem, starring Matt Damon as the Greek king Odysseus, opened on July 17 and immediately defied expectations. The R-rated, nearly 3-hour spectacle debuted with $123.5 million domestically, the biggest live-action opening of the year at the time, and its $264.1 million global launch marked the best worldwide start of Nolan’s career.

Now, even amid a flood of new releases, the film is holding remarkably well. According to box office analyst Luiz Fernando, ‘The Odyssey’ grossed a strong $1 million on its 11th Friday in U.S. theaters.

That figure marked just a 24.3% drop from the previous Friday, despite the film losing another 525 theaters. Fernando noted the epic has now reached $613.9 million domestically and is eyeing a 3-day 11th weekend of $3 million to $4 million.

The steady hold is especially impressive given the crowded marketplace. This weekend brings ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’, A24’s ‘Primetime’, and ‘Heart of the Beast’ into theaters, while ‘Resident Evil’ continues its run.

Despite an avalanche of new releases at US #BoxOffice, #ChristopherNolan’s Epic #TheOdyssey keeps on its legendary journey, after grossing STRONG 1M on 11th FRI! LEGS remain GODLY, just a -24.3% drop from last FRI, despite losing another -525 theatres yesterday! #TheOdyssey hits a 613.9M cume in the US. Eyeing a 3M-4M 11th 3-day weekend in the U.S.

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) September 26, 2026

The film’s staying power was evident from the start. Its second weekend brought in $90 million, a slim 27% decline from its opening, and it became the second-biggest sophomore frame ever for an R-rated movie, behind only ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’.

It crossed $1 billion worldwide after just 3 weeks, becoming Nolan’s first movie since ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ to reach the milestone. During its sixth weekend, it surpassed ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.

Today, ‘The Odyssey’ has earned more than $1.7 billion worldwide. That makes it the second-highest-grossing film of 2026, Universal’s biggest release ever, and Nolan’s highest-grossing movie to date.

Much of that success comes from the premium experience. ‘The Odyssey’ is the first feature shot entirely with IMAX film cameras, and premium large formats accounted for 53% of its domestic opening.

IMAX alone generated $140 million globally within the first 10 days, making it the company’s second-fastest film to hit $100 million. Audiences also flocked to the 41 theaters worldwide equipped to screen IMAX 70mm film.

The final trailer for Christopher Nolan's ‘THE ODYSSEY’ has been released.

In theaters on July 17. pic.twitter.com/xn42TcX4aG

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 1, 2026

Beyond Damon, the film’s poster boasts a stacked ensemble including Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron. That lineup, paired with Nolan’s reputation, helped turn a 2,700-year-old story into a must-see event.

Audiences clearly responded, as the film earned an A CinemaScore. Critics also praised Nolan’s direction, the performances, and the set pieces, though some took issue with its deviations from Homer’s original text.

With its theater count shrinking weekly, ‘The Odyssey’ is nearing the final stretch of its domestic run. Still, few films this year have shown this kind of endurance, and every extra weekend adds to an already historic total.

For comparison, Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ finished with $330 million in North America and $975 million worldwide. ‘The Odyssey’ has now blown past both marks, cementing itself as one of the biggest cinematic events of the decade.

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