“The Odyssey” maintained a strong presence in North American theaters during its second weekend, generating $87 million in ticket sales. This figure represents a modest 30% decrease from its opening weekend, a notably small drop for a major release.
This performance marks filmmaker Christopher Nolan's most successful second weekend for any of his films, excluding inflation adjustments. For comparison, his 2008 film “The Dark Knight” earned $75.2 million in its second weekend.
“That would be an impressive opening weekend for any film,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends. “This is a testament to the outpouring of excitement and enthusiasm that moviegoers are having for Christopher Nolan’s latest epic.”
Globally, “The Odyssey” has grossed an estimated $639.6 million, with $128.3 million coming from international markets. Theaters worldwide are increasing showtimes to accommodate demand, according to Dergarabedian.
A significant portion of the film's earnings continues to come from premium large format screens. IMAX screens alone contributed $48 million to the weekend's global earnings. Specifically, the 70 mm IMAX screens, limited to 41 locations globally, accounted for $5.2 million, with most showtimes reportedly sold out through September.
While “The Odyssey” faced little significant new competition this past weekend or the previous one, its sustained performance is unusual for a film that opened with over $100 million. For an R-rated film, its performance places it second only to “Deadpool & Wolverine” in second-weekend earnings.
The box office landscape is set to become more competitive next weekend with the release of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which shares actors Tom Holland and Zendaya with “The Odyssey.” Some analysts predict a large opening for the new Spider-Man film. However, “The Odyssey” is expected to retain a significant number of IMAX screens for several more weeks.
In other box office results, Disney's “Moana” took second place with $10.5 million, followed closely by “Toy Story 5” with $10 million. "Toy Story 5" has now surpassed $1 billion globally in its fifth week of release, with $448 million from domestic theaters and $573 million from international screens, making it the sixth Pixar film to reach this financial milestone.
Rounding out the top five was Bleecker Street's “Hadestown: The Musical,” a recording of the Broadway show, which earned $9.7 million in its debut weekend. The musical adapts an ancient Greek tale using folk and jazz musical styles.
Olivia Wilde's “The Invite” also performed well in its platform release, adding $2.6 million for a total of $19.8 million. Other films in the top ten included “Minions & Monsters” ($9.7 million), “Evil Dead Burn” ($2.6 million), “Young Washington” ($2 million), “Motor City” ($1.6 million), and “Obsession” ($1.5 million).
Overall, the year-to-year box office performance is tracking about 10% ahead of last year. The summer box office has now surpassed $3 billion, a figure that regularly exceeded $4 billion before the pandemic. The only other summer to achieve higher than $3 billion since the pandemic was in 2023 with the “Barbenheimer” releases. Dergarabedian expressed cautious optimism that the $4 billion mark could be reachable this summer, citing the continued draw of “The Odyssey” and the upcoming “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
“For `The Odyssey’ it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon run that’ll play well into August,” Dergarabedian stated.