Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey opened to $120.5 million in North America over the weekend, becoming 2026's biggest live-action opening and the director's third-largest domestic debut. Globally, Universal Pictures reported $257.8 million across 74 markets, the highest worldwide opening of Nolan's career.
The film earned $51.2 million on Friday, including Thursday previews, from 3,900 North American screens. For Universal, the result marks the studio's highest opening weekend for an R-rated film, surpassing Fifty Shades of Grey's $85.1 million.
Nolan's adaptation of Homer's epic poem stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, with Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, and Charlize Theron. Produced by Nolan and Emma Thomas for Syncopy on a reported $250 million budget, the film represents the scale of production rarely attempted outside franchise territory.
Audiences gave it an A CinemaScore. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 95% score from critics, the highest of Nolan's career, alongside a 97% audience rating.
Nolan's domestic benchmark remains The Dark Knight Rises, which debuted to $160 million in 2012. The Odyssey falls short of that figure domestically but surpasses it on the global stage. Among 2026 domestic openings, only Toy Story 5 and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, both animated, finished higher.
The numbers position The Odyssey as a likely awards contender heading into the fall festival circuit.