One of the biggest box office guessing games of the summer has been how Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey will perform. While some believed Nolan had bitten off more than he could chew with his adaptation of Homer’s epic, the film was subjected to review bombing and social media attacks long before its release. Now that audiences are actually seeing it—and the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive—it looks like Nolan is about to prove his detractors wrong.
Here’s the thing about Christopher Nolan: he’s probably the only director whose movies are virtually guaranteed events. After all, he turned a three-hour drama about the creation of the atomic bomb into a blockbuster that nearly grossed $1 billion worldwide. The Odyssey has every chance of pulling off a similar feat, but it will likely be more of a grower than a shower at the box office, as has been the case with many of Nolan’s films.
Indeed, not all Nolan fans rush out on opening weekend. Many prefer to wait so they can experience the film in IMAX 70mm, with some even traveling—or waiting weeks—to see it in the format it was intended to be seen in. Even so, a $90 million opening seems like a safe bet for Nolan’s latest. Oppenheimer opened with about $82 million, but The Odyssey arguably has broader commercial appeal thanks to its star-studded cast. A $100 million opening isn’t out of the question, which would be an incredible result for an R-rated movie.
Meanwhile, Disney’s flop Moana should lose at least 50% of its audience in its second weekend, with the film on track for about $18 million. It’s the latest setback in a rough box office stretch for Dwayne Johnson following the underperformance of Red One and the outright flop of The Smashing Machine. Many are now wondering whether the next Jumanji will be the blockbuster he needs.
Disney should also claim third place with Toy Story 5, which is looking at an $11 million weekend, putting it neck and neck with Universal’s Minions & Monsters, which is projected to earn about $10 million. Their positions could easily flip-flop by Sunday’s actuals. Finally, Evil Dead Burn should round out the top five with about $6 million, with the film continuing to underperform despite solid reviews.
Will you be rushing out to see The Odyssey on opening weekend? Let us know in the comments!