Matt Damon and Zendaya in “The Odyssey.”
Universal Pictures
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of the Homer epic The Odyssey is projected to have a massive opening at the weekend box office, but the forecasts don’t pinpoint exactly how much.
Written and directed by Nolan, The Odyssey plays in preview screenings on Thursday before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday. The Odyssey filmmaker’s first big-screen spectacle since his historical biopic Oppenheimer opened in mid-July 2023. While the social media reactions embargo for The Odyssey was lifted on July 6 and the film won enormous praise from critics and journalists, the final verdict for the film comes Wednesday when the review embargo lifts.
The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, who, after the Trojan War, embarks on a perilous, years-long trek to reunite with his wife, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and their son, Prince Telemachus (Tom Holland). Robert Pattinson as Antinous also stars in The Odyssey as Antinous, as well as Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso, John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, Samantha Morton as Circe, Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and her twin sister, Clytemnestra, and Benny Safdie as Agamemnon.
The massive ensemble for the film also includes Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and her sister, Mia Goth as Melantho, Corey Hawkins as Polybus, Elliot Page as Sinon and Bill Irwin as the one-eyed giant, Polyphemus, aka the Cyclops.
Long Range Projections For ‘The Odyssey’ Have Trended Upward Since Late June
Long tracking projections for the domestic opening of The Odyssey cast a wide net. On June 26, Deadline projected the lowest projection of all box office prognosticators with an $80 million to $100 million opening for the Universal Pictures release.
As of early July, however, the projections began to trend upward. On July 3, Box Office Pro projected a $100 million to $120 million opening. Two days later, Box Office Theory — which was founded by Fandango director of analytics Shawn Robbins — projected a $118 million opening, but pointed out the film could make as little as $98 million on the low end and $132 million on the high end.
By contrast, Oppenheimer — which was part of the Barbenheimer craze — earned $82.4 million (including Thursday previews) in its opening frame from 3,610 North American venues from July 21-23, 2023. The film topped out with a domestic take of $330 million and $646.7 million in international ticket sales for a worldwide box office tally of $976.6 million. The film, of course, was also an awards season smash, culminating in seven Oscar wins, including Best Picture, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr.
The Odyssey is opening in 3,800 North American venues according to The Numbers, including standard IMAX, 70mm IMAX and other Premium Large Format venues. While IMAX and PLF venues will help boost the film’s overall box office, there is a downside since The Odyssey’s runtime of 2 hours and 52 minutes means there will be fewer daily screenings.
Rated R, The Odyssey opens in theaters nationwide on Friday.