The Success of ‘The Odyssey’ at the Box Office
“The Odyssey” maintained strong traction in its second weekend across North American theaters, generating $87 million in ticket sales, as per studio estimates on Sunday. This represents only a 30% decline from its first weekend, which is quite minimal for a blockbuster. This marks filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s most successful second weekend to date, without considering inflation adjustments. Previously, in 2008, “The Dark Knight” had a second weekend earning of $75.2 million.
Rentrak’s marketplace trends head, Paul Dergarabedian, remarked, “That would be an impressive opening weekend for any film.” He highlighted the enthusiasm and excitement that Christopher Nolan’s latest epic has stirred among moviegoers. Internationally, “The Odyssey” has brought in $128.3 million, taking its global earnings to an estimated $639.6 million. Many theaters globally are adding showtimes to cater to this demand, Dergarabedian mentioned. Premium large format screens have contributed significantly to this amount, with IMAX alone accounting for $48 million of global earnings this weekend. Among these, the 70 mm IMAX screenings, only 41 of which exist worldwide, garnered $5.2 million.
Most of these screenings are sold out through September, according to company reports. There was no major competition during this or the previous weekend. Notably, the second weekend earnings are uncommon for any movie that initially opened with over $100 million. For an R-rated film, it follows only “Deadpool & Wolverine.” However, the dynamic will shift slightly next weekend when “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is released, a blockbuster featuring actors Tom Holland and Zendaya from “The Odyssey.” Some projections indicate that “Spider-Man” might achieve the year’s largest opening weekend. Still, “The Odyssey” will continue its IMAX screen dominance for a while.
Disney’s releases secured second and third places, with “Moana” earning $10.5 million and “Toy Story 5” close behind with $10 million. “Toy Story 5” surpassed the $1 billion milestone in its fifth weekend, generating $448 million domestically and $573 million internationally. It becomes the sixth Pixar film to achieve such a milestone.
Bleecker Street’s “Hadestown: The Musical,” a live stage recording of the popular Broadway show, was fifth with $9.7 million in its debut weekend. This performance retells an ancient Greek myth through folk and jazz music. Meanwhile, Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite” showed continued success in its limited release, adding $2.6 million, bringing its total to $19.8 million.
Overall, this year is outperforming the last by about 10%, with the summer box office crossing $3 billion. Pre-pandemic summer movie seasons routinely exceeded $4 billion, with the only recent exception being during the 2023 “Barbenheimer” period. Dergarabedian expressed cautious optimism about reaching that mark this summer. “That’s a significant challenge for August, but it could be a blockbuster month given ‘The Odyssey’s’ staying power alongside ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,'” he said. He emphasized, “For ‘The Odyssey’, it’s like a long-distance race that will continue to perform well into August.”
Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office
With final domestic figures set to release on Monday, the following list includes the estimated ticket sales from Friday to Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:
- “The Odyssey,” $87 million
- “Moana,” $10.5 million
- “Toy Story 5,” $10 million
- “Minions & Monsters,” $9.7 million
- “Hadestown,” $9.6 million
- “The Invite,” $2.6 million
- “Evil Dead Burn,” $2.6 million
- “Young Washington,” $2 million
- “Motor City,” $1.6 million
- “Obsession,” $1.5 million