The Odyssey has hauled in over $264 million at the box office during its opening weekend. It looks like Christopher Nolan‘s latest epic is becoming his biggest movie ever as it has already broken many box office records three days into its release.
What box office records did The Odyssey’s $264 million opening break?
After grossing $264 million worldwide, The Odyssey’s opening weekend is Nolan’s biggest global debut and highest-grossing opening to date. It took over a decade to break the The Dark Knight Rises’ previous record of $249 million. This is a new career milestone for the award-winning filmmaker, who shot the film entirely with IMAX 70mm film cameras. Interestingly, according to Deadline, 51% of the moviegoers’ primary motivation to watch The Odyssey wasn’t its star-studded cast, but was solely for the excitement of seeing Nolan’s next directorial feature. This is certainly remarkable for any filmmaker.
The Odyssey has also set a new record for Universal Pictures. The epic action drama has now become the studio’s highest-grossing R-rated domestic launch, grossing $124. 5 million. This new record has finally beaten Fifty Shades of Grey’s $85.1 million opening in 2016. In addition, the latest film’s opening weekend haul is now this year’s biggest opening for any live-action movie adaptation. According to IMAX Corporation, The Odyssey’s IMAX release has delivered $52 million, accounting for 20% of the film’s global opening debut. This is a massive win for the first-ever theatrical release movie filmed entirely on IMAX cameras. Because of this, many moviegoers have also been campaigning for more IMAX screens.
Besides Nolan, The Odyssey has also given Matt Damon a new career milestone. Its $264 million opening has become Damon’s highest-grossing domestic launch of his career. This record was previously held by 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum, which originally grossed around $69.2 million. As the movie continues to garner recognition, I’m convinced that more records and milestones will be set soon.
