Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Posts $87M Second Weekend, the Best of His Career

In its second weekend in North American theaters, the epic pulled in an estimated $87 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. That’s just a 30% drop from its massive opening — an unusually small decline for a blockbuster of this size.

The hold is also historic for Nolan himself. It marks the best second weekend of his career, not adjusted for inflation. The previous record was The Dark Knight in 2008, which earned $75.2 million in weekend two.

“That would be an impressive opening weekend for any film,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak. “This is a testament to the outpouring of excitement and enthusiasm that moviegoers are having for Christopher Nolan’s latest epic

That brings its global total to an estimated $639.6 million in just 10 days. Theaters around the world are responding by adding more showtimes to meet demand, Dergarabedian noted.

As with opening weekend, premium formats are driving much of the revenue. Audiences are specifically seeking out the biggest screens possible for Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s classic.

IMAX alone accounted for $48 million of the global earnings this weekend. The rarest of the rare — the 70mm IMAX screens — did $5.2 million from just 41 locations worldwide. According to the company, most of those 70mm showtimes are already sold out through September.

There’s a reason for the urgency. Part of Nolan’s marketing push was built around the idea that The Odyssey was made to be seen on film, in large format, with the sound and scale that streaming can’t replicate. Audiences seem to be buying in.

There was no major new wide release to challenge it this weekend, or last. That open runway has helped it maintain momentum.For an R-rated film to hold this well after a $100M+ opening is rare. The only recent R-rated film with a better second-weekend hold was Deadpool & Wolverine.

Next weekend brings Spider-Man: Brand New Day into theaters. The new Marvel film stars Tom Holland and Zendaya — both of whom also appear in The Odyssey. Some analysts are predicting Spider-Man could deliver the biggest opening weekend of the year.

Even so, Nolan’s film isn’t giving up its premium screens easily. IMAX has already committed to keeping The Odyssey on most of its large-format screens for several more weeks, which should help it continue to pull strong numbers even against new competition.

Toy Story 5 crossed a major milestone this weekend: $1 billion globally. It took five weekends to get there, with $448 million from domestic theaters and $573 million from international markets. It’s now the sixth Pixar film to hit the billion-dollar mark.

Rounding out the top five was Bleecker Street’s Hadestown: The Musical, a live stage recording of the Broadway hit. It opened to $9.7 million. The production uses folk and jazz to retell an ancient Greek tale — an interesting bit of counter-programming given The Odyssey is also drawing from Greek mythology.

Also performing well in limited release was Olivia Wilde’s chamber dramedy The Invite. It added another $2.6 million this weekend, bringing its running total to $19.8 million.second-weekend drops are one of the clearest indicators of audience word-of-mouth. A 30% decline for a film that opened over $100 million is exceptional. Most blockbusters fall 50% to 60% in weekend two.

The fact that The Odyssey is holding like this suggests people aren’t just showing up for the opening. They’re coming back, and they’re telling friends to go see it on the biggest screen possible.

That’s especially important for an R-rated, 3-hour epic based on 2,800-year-old poetry. On paper, it’s not an obvious four-quadrant hit. But Nolan’s name, the IMAX push, and the cast — including Holland and Zendaya — have turned it into a cultural event.

The $639.6 million global total already puts it among the biggest films of 2026. With premium screens locked in and strong word-of-mouth, it’s on track to pass $1 billion worldwide, and possibly challenge for Nolan’s highest-grossing film overall.

The real test comes next weekend when Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives. Marvel films traditionally dominate IMAX and other premium formats, but The Odyssey has contracts and momentum on its side.

Industry watchers will be looking at two things: how much Spider-Man takes, and how much The Odyssey gives up. If Nolan’s film can stay under a 45% drop with direct competition, it will cement this as one of the most durable blockbusters of the decade.

For now, though, The Odyssey continues to exert what one analyst called “a mighty hold” on moviegoers. In an era where most films fade fast, audiences are still sailing with Odysseus — and they’re paying extra to do it on a 70mm screen.