Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey opens in 3,900 North American theaters on Friday. According to Gold Derby, industry tracking has settled into an $85M to $105M domestic range for the July 17 opening weekend, with projections reaching as high as $120M earlier in the tracking cycle. The Gold Derby consensus estimate lands at $100M.
International numbers push the global projection well past $200M. The film opens across 22,700 screens in 73 territories, with approximately $110M expected from overseas markets in the opening frame alone, according to Screen Rant.
For context, Nolan's Oppenheimer opened to $82.4M domestically in July 2023 before finishing at $330M in North America. The Odyssey's tracking would mark his largest domestic opening since The Dark Knight Rises debuted to $160M in 2012. Only his two Batman sequels have cleared comparable thresholds.
The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, with Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, and Zendaya as Athena. Shot entirely on IMAX 70mm cameras at a production cost of $250M, it is the first feature in history filmed exclusively in that format. Reviews arrived Wednesday as the embargo lifted: 96% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, 88% on Metacritic.
No major competition enters the marketplace this weekend. Universal's release has the market to itself at the precise moment tracking says audiences are ready to show up.