As it would be expected for a Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey has received an extraordinarily high box office prediction. While this forecast is admittedly early, it’s great news for a blockbuster that has a lofty goal to reach given its colossal production budget and massive marketing campaign from Universal Pictures. With a star-studded cast that features Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, and many more, this modern retelling of the ancient Greek poem by Homer has already marked itself as the film to beat at both the box office and the Oscars. The Odyssey will be landing on US shores on July 17, 2026.
The Odyssey is on track to have a gargantuan domestic opener
An early box office forecast for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has it earning an estimated $118 million in its domestic opening weekend from July 17 to July 19.
This preliminary prediction comes from the data analytics site BoxOfficeTheory (by way of a thread on the r/BoxOffice Reddit), which makes a note that this projection is “volatile” due to the amount of “in-flux variables to weigh.” To put this $118 million forecast in perspective, this would be the highest domestic start for a non-animated film in 2026 (The Super Mario Galaxy Movie had a domestic opener of $131 million and Toy Story 5’s is expected to be higher than that). This would be above the $97 million for the biopic Michael as well as the $80 million for Project Hail Mary. Compared to Nolan’s other blockbusters, this prediction would fall between the $82 million for the 2023 historical drama Oppenheimer and the $160 million for the 2012 superhero flick The Dark Knight Rises.
The report is encouraged by the envious ensemble for The Odyssey that will appeal to casual moviegoers. While there has been some controversy over the casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy (she also plays her sister Clytemnestra), the star power for the film remains undeniable. Joining the A-list headliners already mentioned are Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, and Elliot Page in a yet undisclosed role (this is important because there’s a rumor that he is playing Achilles, though it’s more likely that he’ll play someone like Odysseus’ young fleet member Elpenor).
The film’s marketing campaign from Universal has been substantial as well, with the studio’s “wave of promotional tours and social media clips” having generated “strong metrics so far.” In fact, The Odyssey has already broken records for pre-sales, with AMC reporting that the blockbuster has had the highest first-day advance PLF ticket sales in the last four years. And despite the controversies surrounding the film, which includes the casual dialogue in the script and the criticisms of its inauthentic costuming, the backlash will help the film stay at the forefront of people’s minds.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporterthe budget for The Odyssey is a whopping $250 million, making it the most expensive film for the Oscar-winning director. Most blockbusters aim to bring in 2.5 times its cost at the box office to break even, which would mean that the film will roughly need to cross the $625 million mark. But with the marketing and advertising behind the movie, it wouldn’t be surprising if studio heads are hoping the movie will reach the $975 million worldwide haul of Oppenheimer or the $1.08 billion of The Dark Knight Rises.
Better yet, this Greek epic will not have too many competitors to worry about in its July release window. While the film is coming out only a week after Disney’s Moana, it’s in an entirely different genre than the family-friendly live-action flick. The only other major contender that it will need to face is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which arrives on July 31 (or July 29 in select screenings) and interestingly also stars Tom Holland and Zendaya.
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