Nolan’s The Odyssey opens to $264.1 million worldwide

Universal’s “The Odyssey” opened with an estimated $124.5 million in domestic ticket sales, powered by moviegoers paying up for premium screens. For investors watching theaters, studios and formats like IMAX, the weekend shows how a high-profile release can lift box office revenue beyond standard ticket volume.

The Christopher Nolan film brought in $264.1 million worldwide in its first weekend, according to figures cited by CNBC. Rentrak data showed it was Nolan’s biggest global opening and his third-best domestic debut.

Premium large-format screenings were the engine behind the launch. Those are auditoriums with larger screens, upgraded projection and stronger sound, and they usually carry higher ticket prices. IMAX said its theaters generated nearly $30 million domestically, about 24% of the film’s domestic opening total.

International markets added $139.6 million for “The Odyssey,” with IMAX contributing about $22 million, or 15% of the overseas opening, according to IMAX figures cited by CNBC. The film has not yet opened in China, Japan or South Korea.

Premium tickets carried the weekend

EntTelligence data showed about 7.5 million domestic tickets were sold for “The Odyssey” over the weekend. Premium large-format screenings represented 45% of those tickets, at an average price of $19 each.

The 70mm screenings, a film format prized by Nolan fans for its image quality and rarity, made up 5% of domestic ticket sales and averaged nearly $22.50 per ticket, according to EntTelligence. Some tickets for the movie had been available since July 2025, and theaters showing 70mm presentations sold out, CNBC reported.

Rich Gelfond, chief executive of IMAX, told CNBC that the company helped turn the movie into a worldwide cultural event, pointing to its cast, director and shooting locations. He said 42 IMAX locations scheduled shows between midnight and 3 a.m. over the weekend to meet demand.

IMAX is also extending the film’s run into a fifth week, Gelfond told CNBC, and some of those added showtimes have already sold out. “The Odyssey” has exclusivity in IMAX theaters for the next three weeks, according to CNBC, which limits competition for those premium screens during that period.

Nolan remains a rare director brand

Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, told CNBC that Nolan has repeatedly turned ambitious projects into broad commercial hits, including superhero films, original stories and the three-hour biopic “Oppenheimer.” Robbins said Nolan has again drawn a large audience with a film based on a 2,700-year-old poem.

Nolan’s approach has become part of the sales pitch. For “The Odyssey,” CNBC reported that he used IMAX-branded cameras and favored real locations and practical effects over computer-generated imagery. That kind of production can make premium theaters feel like the intended version of the product, which supports higher ticket prices.

Robbins told CNBC that premium showtimes, especially IMAX screenings, often sell out weeks ahead for Nolan releases, giving “The Odyssey” a longer runway at the box office as word of mouth builds. He also said some fans travel long distances to see the movie in the format closest to Nolan’s preferred presentation.

The audience mix also stood out. Half of moviegoers were between 18 and 34 years old, according to CNBC, a group theaters have been trying to bring back since the pandemic disrupted moviegoing habits.

Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak, told CNBC that Nolan is one of the few directors whose name can reliably drive box office results. The next major direct competition cited by CNBC is Sony and Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” scheduled for release on July 31.

CNBC disclosed that Versant Media is the parent company of CNBC and Fandango.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.