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Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey set sail at the global box office on July 17, 2026, delivering one of the strongest debuts of the year.
The Universal Pictures epic, an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem, starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron, opened to blockbuster numbers both in North America and overseas, cementing its status as the most anticipated release of the summer.
According to Variety, The Odyssey collected $17.6 million from Thursday preview screenings across 3,900 North American theatres, the best preview haul of the year, surpassing the $17.5 million that Toy Story 5 had earned earlier in 2026.
As per the Hollywood Reporter, the film was targeting a $50 million Friday that would push it toward a $117 million three-day opening weekend.
Deadline reported that this performance made the film the biggest opening for Matt Damon as a lead actor, ahead of 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum, and marked the best live-action debut of the year domestically, edging past Lionsgate’s Michael.
It is also worth noting that the previews figure comfortably outpaced Nolan’s own Oppenheimer, which had opened to $10.5 million in previews back in 2023.
