‘The Odyssey’ Makes a Huge Splash Overseas as Nolan Scores Another Major Box Office Win

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has reached another major milestone, and this time it is happening in Japan. The epic film has already been one of the biggest theatrical stories of 2026, but its Japanese debut shows that audiences are still turning out in large numbers months after the movie first opened in other parts of the world. The film arrived in Japan with strong interest, impressive IMAX demand, and audience reactions that could give it another boost at the box office.

According to the latest industry tracking data, The Odyssey made an estimated $2 million on its opening day in Japan. That was enough to put the movie at No. 1 for the day and give it the fifth-biggest opening day for a Hollywood movie in the country so far this year. The result is especially notable because Japan was one of the final major markets to receive Nolan’s latest movie.

The film also had a strong run of IMAX previews before its official opening. Those screenings brought in around $1.3 million, which is well ahead of the $800,000 that Oppenheimer made from similar previews when it opened in Japan. IMAX has been a major part of The Odyssey’s theatrical campaign from the beginning, so the strong numbers in Japan are another sign that audiences continue to want to experience Nolan’s movies on the biggest screens possible.

The Odyssey is also performing well when compared with other major Hollywood releases that have opened in Japan this year. Its $2 million opening day fell behind movies such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Toy Story 5, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and Michael. However, it still opened ahead of several other major releases, including Wicked: For Good, The Mandalorian and Grogu, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Considering that The Odyssey is an original R-rated epic without the support of an existing franchise, its performance is particularly impressive.

The audience reaction in Japan has been another positive sign for Nolan. The movie currently has a 4.4 out of 5 audience score in the country, giving it the highest audience rating of any Nolan movie there. That puts it ahead of The Dark Knight, which previously held the top spot with a 4.2 rating. Strong word of mouth could help The Odyssey stay in theaters for a long time, especially if more moviegoers decide to see what the excitement is about.

Early estimates suggest the movie could finish its first three days in Japan with between $4 million and $5 million, including previews. If that happens, it would easily beat Oppenheimer’s $2.5 million three-day opening in the country. It also gives Nolan another impressive result for a movie that has already broken several of his career records.

Globally, The Odyssey opened with $264.1 million, giving Nolan his biggest worldwide opening ever. The movie has also become a huge success for IMAX. IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond previously praised the film’s strong demand and said the combination of Nolan’s vision, record pre-sales, and positive audience response could help the movie enjoy a long run. Those comments were reported by IMAX Corporation in its coverage of the film’s record-breaking performance.

The movie’s Japanese debut suggests that prediction may have been right. The Odyssey has now become the highest-grossing IMAX release ever, and its continued strength in another major market shows that its theatrical run still has plenty of life left. With audiences responding strongly and Nolan continuing to attract huge crowds for an original film, the movie is turning into another major success story for the director.

For Japan, The Odyssey is off to an impressive start. For Nolan, it is simply another record added to a movie that has already become one of the biggest theatrical events of the year. As more audiences discover the film, its final box office total could become even more impressive.

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