In 13 Days, The Odyssey Has Already Beaten Oppenheimer at the Box Office
The Dark Knight was Christopher Nolan’s big breakout hit, but in the 18 years since that landmark superhero film debuted, the director has proven time and time again he can be a massive box office draw without Batman. Whether it’s an original sci-fi story about pulling off heists in people’s dreams or a biopic about the man who created the atomic bomb, audiences will line up for whatever Nolan has in store simply because he’s the one behind the camera. For further proof, one only has to look at the box office performance of The Odyssey. The three-hour, R-rated fantasy epic became the premier tentpole of the summer because of Nolan’s involvement, and in less than two weeks, it’s already become his highest-grossing non-Batman movie.
According to Deadline, The Odyssey is on track to surpass Oppenheimer‘s lifetime domestic box office gross of $330+ million by the end of the day on Wednesday, July 29th. Since premiering on July 17th, The Odyssey has fared incredibly well at the multiplex, bringing in $14.7 million on Monday and another $16+ million on Tuesday. Once it passes Oppenheimer, it will be the third-highest-grossing film of Nolan’s career domestically, behind only The Dark Knight ($534.9 million) and The Dark Knight Rises ($448.1 million).
Why The Odyssey Is a Bigger Hit Than Oppenheimer, And Can It Hit $1 Billion?
The most incredible thing about this stat is that it took Oppenheimer 595 days to reach $330 million domestically, meaning The Odyssey has obviously drastically outpaced Nolan’s Oscar-winning historical drama. Seeing such a stark difference between these two box office runs raises questions about why The Odyssey has been the much larger box office draw. The most obvious reason is that The Odyssey did not open directly against another highly anticipated summer release. Famously, Oppenheimer was one half of the Barbenheimer phenomenon, releasing the same day as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Both films were obviously extremely successful, but the PG-13 Barbie had wider appeal than the R-rated Oppenheimer, finishing its run with $636.2 million domestically. The Odyssey has had the last two weekends to itself as the main attraction.
The Odyssey also filled a massive void in the summer movie marketplace as a masterclass of big-screen spectacle that audiences have been hungry for. Many of this season’s traditional studio tentpoles, like The Mandalorian and Grogu, Supergirl, Masters of the Universe, and Moana, disappointed commercially to varying degrees due to their mixed word of mouth. Up until The Odyssey, the biggest box office stories were indie horror movies Obsession and Backrooms, with Toy Story 5 the only typical “summer movie” performing within expectations. The Odyssey became a massive event since it received widespread critical acclaim, with many hailing it as one of Nolan’s best films. The combination of those reviews with nonexistent competition turned The Odyssey into a juggernaut.
The Odyssey is still trailing Oppenheimer at the worldwide box office. The latter brought in $975.8 million globally. At the rate The Odyssey is going, it’s only a matter of time before it clears that and hits the $1 billion mark, becoming the third Nolan movie (and his first non-Batman film) to earn that much. The only thing that makes The Odyssey‘s race to $1 billion somewhat interesting is the arrival of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is going to be a massive box office hit in its own right. Some of the rosiest projections believe Brand New Day could gross $800 million worldwide in a single weekend. Even if Marvel’s latest performs in line with the more conservative estimates, it’s going to take some business away from The Odyssey this weekend.
All that being said, The Odyssey has exceeded box office projections from the start. It’s had remarkably strong legs, dropping only 27.1% in its second weekend. Interest in seeing The Odyssey on the big screen isn’t going to instantly vanish because Brand New Day is opening. It will continue to be a huge draw, especially as cinephiles continue to seek out screenings in premium large formats. Notably, The Odyssey is not losing IMAX screens to Spider-Man this weekend, so it can keep leaning on that. Barring a steep drop, which seems unlikely given the word of mouth, The Odyssey is going to cruise to $1 billion worldwide.
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