Box Office: ‘The Odyssey’ Sails to $87 Million in Massive Second Weekend - Variety

What the report says

Variety reported that Universal’s “The Odyssey” remained the dominant movie in North American theaters, earning $87 million from 3,943 locations in its second weekend. The Christopher Nolan-directed adaptation of Homer’s epic poem fell only 30% from its $123.5 million opening, an unusually strong hold for a film that debuted above $100 million and is rated R, a classification that can narrow the available audience.

After two weekends, the film has reached $286.4 million domestically and $639.6 million worldwide, according to the Variety report. Starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, the big-budget release is also performing strongly in Imax, with $140 million globally from the format so far. Variety said it is the first feature shot entirely with Imax cameras, and that Imax 70mm showtimes have been heavily booked.

The result strengthens Nolan’s reputation as one of Hollywood’s most reliable theatrical filmmakers and gives Universal a major summer hit despite the film’s reported $250 million production cost and roughly $125 million marketing spend. Its next test comes with Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, which Variety said could compete for audience attention next weekend.

Other weekend performers included Disney’s “Moana” with $10.5 million, “Toy Story 5” with $10 million, and “Hadestown: The Musical” with $9.6 million in its theatrical debut. Variety also reported that the summer box office has topped $3 billion, with exhibitors hoping overall domestic revenue can continue toward a stronger post-pandemic recovery.