Christopher Nolan’s historical epic The Odyssey
has retained the top spot at the domestic box office in its second week, crossing $640 million globally. Driven by massive demand for premium large formats, the Universal Pictures release continues to break records across international markets after opening with $263.7M worldwide.
Christopher Nolan’s star-studded epic VG has easily held its ground at the box office, maintaining the number-one position in the United States during its second weekend. Having already recouped its $250 million production budget during its opening weekend, the film has climbed to $640 million worldwide after just two weeks in release, according to reporting from the Agence France-Presse.
Domestic returns saw the film pull in $124 million during its first week, followed by another $87 million in its second week.
IMAX Dominance and Record-Breaking Format Sales
Premium formats are driving a staggering share of the box office momentum.
Martin Øsmundset, program manager for Odeon Kino in Norway, noted the unprecedented scale of the run, stating We have never previously seen similar numbers for an IMAX film. This is in the process of becoming a completely unique cinema phenomenon. At Nordisk Film Kino, advance sales reached 8,300 tickets for 70mm screenings, accounting for roughly 10 percent of total advance sales.
Christopher Nolan is almost the only director in the world today that people go and see films of because it is he who has made them. Christopher Pahle, author and film critic, via TV 2
Film critic Christopher Pahle pointed out that while most major releases rely on established intellectual property like Marvel or Star Wars, Nolan commands an audience purely on auteur reputation. The production also marks a technical milestone: it is the first feature film shot entirely with IMAX 70mm film cameras, allowing dialogue scenes to be captured natively on large-format analog stock without camera noise interference.
International Markets and Comparative Box Office Milestones
International holds remained remarkably resilient in the second frame.
North America contributed $24.1M during the second weekend for a domestic running total of $78M, while international territories added to a foreign cume of $62M. The analog 70mm IMAX version brought in $5.2M global revenue in the second frame, pushing its running total near $17M with most showtimes sold out into September.
Trade reporting from Deadline shows:
| Territory | Second Weekend Hold | Running Cumulative Total |
|---|---|---|
| UK / Ireland | -11% ($15M) | $46.3M |
| France | No. 1 ($12.3M) | $31.8M |
| Italy | 88% of biz ($10.5M) | $29M |
| Australia | -16% ($7.9M) | $20.7M |
| Germany | -7% ($7.8M) | $20.5M |
| Mexico | -2% ($7.5M) | $19M |
| Spain | Near $5M | $15.5M |
| Brazil | $4.6M | $11.1M |
| India | $3.6M | $14.4M |
Local Cinema Surges and The Barbenheimer
Parallel
In regional markets like Bergen, Norway, adverse weather paired with the blockbuster lineup to drive massive attendance. Managing Director Jeanette Heggland of Bergensavisen reported that Friday and Saturday alone brought in 6,000 visitors, noting that the combination of heavy rain and major releases created one of the venue’s best stretches of the year alongside Disney and Pixar titles Vaiana
and Toy Story 5.
Looking ahead, Bergen Kino anticipates a similar cultural pairing to the 2023 Barbenheimer
phenomenon when Spider-Man: Brand New Day
releases alongside the continued run of The Odyssey.
Zendaya and Tom Holland star in both projects, playing goddess Athena and prince Telemakhos in Nolan’s epic while also appearing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
.
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