‘The Odyssey’ Just Crossed a Box Office Milestone Overseas That Even Nolan Rarely Reaches

China has historically been one of the trickier markets for Christopher Nolan’s sprawling, dialogue-heavy blockbusters to crack, with audiences there often gravitating toward more action-forward franchise fare over his talkier, more cerebral style of filmmaking. That reputation made ‘The Odyssey’s’ China rollout feel like a genuine test case for whether his latest epic could translate the same way it had elsewhere in the world.

That test began in dramatic fashion. ‘The Odyssey’ launched across more than 20,000 screens in mainland China on August 14, including nearly 800 IMAX screens covering 90% of the country’s IMAX footprint, backed by $13.5 million already banked from advance bookings and preview screenings before general audiences even got their first look. The film went on to post a $36.3 million three-day opening weekend, beating ‘Tenet’s’ previous $29.8 million debut to become Nolan’s biggest three-day opening ever in the country.

Now, five weekends later, that momentum has carried the film across an even bigger milestone. ‘The Odyssey’ has officially crossed $100 million at the Chinese box office, adding $3.5 million over its most recent three-day frame to push its cumulative total to roughly $104 million after just 31 days in release.

That kind of staying power is genuinely rare for a film this deep into its run. The most recent weekend represented only a 37.5% drop from the previous frame, and Sunday alone contributed a strong $1.2 million, even as the film’s screen count actually grew slightly from the week before rather than shrinking, a pattern that speaks to continued strong demand rather than a fading theatrical run.

Crossing the $100 million threshold carries real weight within Nolan’s personal box office history in the country. The milestone pushes ‘The Odyssey’ past the China runs of ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Tenet,’ and ‘Inception,’ leaving it second only to ‘Interstellar’s’ $122 million lifetime China gross among all of Nolan’s films.

In #China’s #BoxOffice, Epic #TheOdyssey keeps rewriting history, as #ChristopherNolan adds $3.5M on 5th 3-day weekend, just a -37.5% drop from last weekend, after grossing STRONG $1.2M on 5th SUN, despite playing over just 19k screenings (+1k from last SUN). It hits a $104.4M cume in just 31 days. $120k in pre-sales for 5th MON when it will play over just 17k screenings (-2k from today)

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) September 13, 2026

That achievement also makes ‘The Odyssey’ the first Hollywood film that’s neither a sequel nor an established franchise title to cross $100 million in China since the pandemic reshaped the country’s theatrical landscape, and only the twelfth Hollywood film overall to reach that benchmark in that stretch. For an original, three-hour mythological epic built around Homer’s ancient text, that’s an especially notable feat given how heavily China’s post-COVID box office has leaned on recognizable franchise names.

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

With pre-sales already building for the film’s next weekday screenings despite a shrinking overall screen count, ‘The Odyssey’ appears positioned to keep climbing steadily rather than dropping off sharply. Its next real target is ‘Meg 2: The Trench’s’ $115.7 million China total, a benchmark that would place the film among the top 10 post-COVID Hollywood grossers in the country if it manages to close the gap.

Given how unpredictable China’s box office has proven for even some of Hollywood’s biggest franchise names in recent years, ‘The Odyssey’s’ sustained performance there adds yet another impressive chapter to what’s already been one of the most dominant theatrical runs of Nolan’s career.

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