Christopher Nolan's epic adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey has shattered records, becoming the first feature film ever shot entirely with IMAX film cameras. The movie, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, opened in cinemas on Friday and grossed $264.1 million (£196 million) worldwide over its opening weekend, surpassing the $249 million (£185 million) debut of The Dark Knight Rises (2012), which eventually earned over $1 billion.
Record-Breaking Opening Weekend
The film's international opening alone brought in $139 million (£104 million), marking Nolan's largest overseas debut ever. This surpasses both The Dark Knight Rises and Oppenheimer, the latter of which earned $180 million (£134 million) in 2023 after opening in 73 countries and 25,600 cinema screens. The Odyssey also became Nolan's biggest opener in 48 countries, including France, Brazil, Italy, and India, and ranks as the second-best performance for an R-rated movie abroad, behind Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).
IMAX 70mm Screenings Sell Out
The BFI IMAX in London's Waterloo reported that The Odyssey broke its opening weekend record, grossing £219,867 from Friday to Sunday. The venue has already sold 82,000 tickets for the film, generating £2,169,882, making it the cinema's third-highest grossing film ever in just three days. Across eight weeks, 173 consecutive IMAX 70mm screenings have entirely sold out, with audience members traveling from as far as Singapore, Los Angeles, and Toronto. Additional dates are expected to be added due to unprecedented global demand, the BFI IMAX said on Monday.
Nolan's Milestone and Tribute
This achievement marks a significant milestone in Nolan's career, as The Odyssey is his first film shot entirely with IMAX cameras. The director introduced the world premiere at the BFI IMAX, dedicating the film to his friend and IMAX mentor, David Keighley. BFI IMAX program manager Madeline Mullett said, "As the only cinema in the UK to hold a complete archive of Christopher Nolan's IMAX 70mm filmography, now including The Odyssey, we are proud to be the home of Christopher Nolan on film." She added, "The extraordinary demand for our IMAX 70mm presentation of The Odyssey, experienced as intended by the filmmakers, is ultimate proof of the appetite audiences have for cinema at its most authentic."
Cast and Reception
The star-studded cast includes Zendaya, Tom Holland, Matt Damon, and Robert Pattinson, with Damon portraying Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, on his perilous 10-year journey home after the Trojan War. The film has been released to critical acclaim and is also the highest-grossing opening weekend for a live-action film and non-sequel this year, behind only The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Toy Story 5.
