“The Odyssey” maintained its strong grip on moviegoers in its second weekend in North American theaters, earning $87 million in ticket sales according to studio estimates from Sunday. This marks only a 30% decline from its first weekend, a modest drop for a blockbuster film. It also represents filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s best performance for a second weekend, without adjusting for inflation. Back in 2008, “The Dark Knight” garnered $75.2 million in its second weekend.
Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak, remarked, “That would be an impressive opening weekend for any film.” He sees this as a testament to the significant interest and enthusiasm viewers have for Nolan’s latest epic.
On the international front, “The Odyssey” brought in $128.3 million, achieving a global total of approximately $639.6 million. The global demand for this film prompted theaters to add more showtimes. Premium large format screens contributed significantly to the film’s earnings. IMAX screens alone accounted for $48 million of the worldwide earnings over the weekend. The exclusive 70 mm IMAX screens, limited to 41 globally, earned $5.2 million, with most showtimes sold out until September according to the company.
The film faced little competition over the past two weekends. However, its second weekend earnings are rare for a movie that opened to more than $100 million, especially for an R-rated film, second only to “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The box office landscape will shift next weekend with the release of another blockbuster, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which features actors Tom Holland and Zendaya, who also star in “The Odyssey.” Some analysts predict “Spider-Man” could secure the biggest opening weekend of the year. Despite this, Nolan’s film will continue to play on most IMAX screens for several weeks.
In box office standings, Disney releases took second and third place, with “Moana” earning $10.5 million and “Toy Story 5” close behind at $10 million. “Toy Story 5” has surpassed $1 billion in its fifth weekend, with $448 million from domestic theaters and $573 million from international venues. It stands as the sixth Pixar film to reach this milestone. “Hadestown: The Musical,” a live recording of the stage show released by Bleecker Street, rounded out the top five with $9.7 million in its debut weekend. The Broadway hit combines folk and jazz to narrate an ancient Greek tale. Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite,” a chamber dramedy, continues its successful platform release with $2.6 million, bringing its total to $19.8 million.
Year-to-date, the box office is running about 10% ahead of the previous year. The summer box office has surpassed $3 billion this weekend. Pre-pandemic, summer movie seasons would often exceed $4 billion, a feat only achieved once since with the “Barbenheimer” in 2023. Dergarabedian is cautiously optimistic that this benchmark could be reached this summer as well. “That’s a significant challenge for August, but this could be a prosperous August given ‘The Odyssey’s’ endurance combined with ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’,” he noted. For ‘The Odyssey,’ it’s an ongoing effort, not a quick success. This success will likely continue through August.”
Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office
With final domestic figures expected on Monday, these are 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.