Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey sold 28,000 tickets in its first 24 hours at BFI IMAX, generating £750,000, according to Deadline. That number clears the previous first-day record set by Dune: Part Two, which reached £366,000 in the same window. Nolan's own Oppenheimer had set an earlier benchmark at £254,000 when it broke the venue's opening-weekend record in 2023.
The film opens worldwide July 17, 2026. It stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, with Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, and Charlize Theron in supporting roles. The production is the first feature shot entirely on IMAX 70mm using new IMAX cameras, a distinction Universal has built its marketing campaign around.
A third trailer surfaced online on June 14, after playing in cinemas ahead of Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day. The footage centered on Penelope and Telemachus rather than Odysseus's voyage, and introduced new creatures including the Laestrygonians and Charybdis.
Four opening-weekend sessions at BFI IMAX had already sold out in under an hour, well in advance of the official sale date. For context, Oppenheimer grossed £2.2 million during its full theatrical run at the venue alone. If presales hold, The Odyssey is tracking toward that ceiling before July ends.
The question is whether the film can match what the numbers are already promising.