Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey opened with an estimated $264.1 million worldwide, becoming the filmmaker’s biggest global debut. The epic earned $124.5m in North America and $139.6m overseas. The $250m production budget has not been fully recovered, despite the box-office gross. Theaters retain revenue and marketing costs remain separate.

Thekabarnews.com—Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey sailed to the top of the worldwide box office after earning an estimated US$264.1 million during its opening weekend. This performance confirmed the filmmaker’s enduring appeal among global cinema audiences.

Released on Friday, July 17, the Homer-inspired epic collected US$124.5 million from the United States and Canada. It also collected approximately US$139.6 million from 73 international markets through Sunday. Furthermore, Box Office Mojo recorded a worldwide total of US$264.06 million.

Based on Bank Indonesia’s July 17 JISDOR reference rate of Rp17,944 per US dollar, the opening translates to approximately Rp4.74 trillion. Importantly, this is not Rp4.3 trillion.

The result is Nolan’s biggest worldwide opening, rather than his second-largest. It surpassed the unadjusted US$249 million global debut of The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, according to Variety.

In North America, it was Nolan’s strongest opening since The Dark Knight Rises. The US$124.5 million domestic result also ranked third among 2026 releases at the time. It was behind Toy Story 5 and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see the palpable excitement in theaters this weekend,” Universal Pictures distribution chief Jim Orr said, as quoted by the AP news.

Although its worldwide gross exceeded its reported US$250 million production budget, the movie cannot yet be described accurately as having fully broken even.

Box-office gross represents total ticket sales, not the amount returned to the studio. Cinemas retain a percentage of ticket revenue, while international revenue-sharing arrangements vary.

Universal is also spending approximately US$125 million on marketing, according to the AP news.

The Odyssey’s claim that it recovered 100% of its budget within 48 hours remains unsupported. The reported US$264.1 million covers the full three-day opening weekend. Universal has not publicly announced that the film has reached profitability.

Premium-format screenings were a major factor. Billed as the first feature filmed entirely with IMAX cameras, The Odyssey alone generated US$51.8 million from IMAX. In detail, that figure represents about 20% of its worldwide debut.

The nearly three-hour, R-rated adventure stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron. It also received a 95% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” CinemaScore from audiences.

Its theatrical run still has room to expand, with major releases in China, Japan and South Korea pending. Strong reviews, limited immediate competition and demand for premium screenings could help The Odyssey remain a leading box-office attraction in the weeks ahead.