‘The Odyssey’ earns $87M in its second weekend, Christopher Nolan’s best
second weekend yet
[July 27, 2026]
By LINDSEY BAHR
“The Odyssey” continued to exert a mighty hold on moviegoers in its
second weekend in North American theaters, with $87 million in ticket
sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. That’s only a 30% drop from
its first weekend, an incredibly modest slide for a blockbuster. It’s
also filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s best second weekend ever, not
accounting for inflation. In 2008, “The Dark Knight” earned $75.2
million in weekend two.
“That would be an impressive opening weekend for any film,” said Paul
Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends. “This is a
testament to the outpouring of excitement and enthusiasm that moviegoers
are having for Christopher Nolan’s latest epic.”
With $128.3 million from international theaters, “The Odyssey” has made
an estimated $639.6 million globally. Theaters around the world are
adding showtimes to try to meet the demand, Dergarabedian said.
As with last weekend, much of that sum is from premium large format
screens. IMAX screens alone accounted for $48 million of the global
earnings this weekend. The coveted 70 mm IMAX screens, of which there
are only 41 worldwide, earned $5.2 million. Most of those showtimes are
sold out through September, the company said.
There was no significant new competition this weekend or last.
Regardless, the second weekend earnings is rare for a movie that opened
over $100 million. For an R-rated movie, it’s second only to “Deadpool &
Wolverine.”
But the open waters will become a little more crowded next weekend when
audiences get another blockbuster option with “Spider-Man: Brand New
Day,” which shares actors Tom Holland and Zendaya with “The Odyssey.”
Some analysts say that “Spider-Man” could net the biggest opening
weekend of the year. Still, Nolan’s film will have its run of most IMAX
screens for weeks to come.
Second and third place went to Disney releases, “Moana,” with $10.5
million, and “Toy Story 5” close behind with $10 million. The latter
surpassed $1 billion in its fifth weekend, with $448 million from
domestic theaters and $573 million from international screens. It’s the
sixth Pixar film to hit the milestone.
Bleecker Street’s release of “Hadestown: The Musical,” a live stage
recording of the show, rounded out the top five with $9.7 million in its
first weekend. The hit Broadway show uses folk and jazz to tell an
ancient Greek tale.
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Matt Damon, from left, director Christopher Nolan, and Anne Hathaway
attend the premiere of "The Odyssey" at AMC Lincoln Square on
Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
 Olivia Wilde’s chamber dramedy “The
Invite” also continues to do well in its platform release, with
another $2.6 million that brings its running total to $19.8 million.
The year overall is running about 10% ahead of last year, and the
summer box office this weekend surpassed $3 billion. Before the
pandemic, the summer movie season would regularly exceed $4 billion.
The only other time it has since was the “Barbenheimer” in 2023.
Dergarabedian is cautiously optimistic that it could be within reach
this summer too.
“That’s a pretty heavy lift for August, but this could be a mega
August given the staying power of ‘The Odyssey’ coupled with
’Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” he said. “For `The Odyssey’ it’s a
marathon, it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon run that’ll play well
into August.”
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors
in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and
Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:
1. “The Odyssey,” $87 million.
2. “Moana,” $10.5 million.
3. “Toy Story 5,” $10 million.
4. “Minions & Monsters,” $9.7 million.
5. “Hadestown,” $9.6 million.
6. “The Invite,” $2.6 million.
7. “Evil Dead Burn,” $2.6 million.
8. “Young Washington,” $2 million.
9. “Motor City,” $1.6 million.
10. “Obsession,” $1.5 million.
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