The Odyssey Is Already Sailing Past Oppenheimer in Early Box Office Tracking

Early box office projections for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey are rewriting expectations before a single frame has been seen by the public. The numbers sail past the filmmaker’s last box office juggernaut, Oppenheimer.

The Odyssey box office is tracking for a huge $80-100 million opening

Universal Pictures’ adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey is currently tracking for a colossal $80 million to $100 million domestic opening when it lands in North America on July 17, as per Deadline. That number makes it ahead of the director’s last film, Oppenheimer, which stunned the industry with an $82.4 million debut weekend two summers ago.

The remarkably wide tracking range reflects an industry unsure of exactly where Nolan’s ceiling sits. Before Oppenheimer opened, forecasters had pegged the three-hour biographical drama for a far more modest $40 million to $50 million start. It then detonated to nearly double those estimates, leaving analysts to debate how much the cultural phenomenon of “Barbenheimer” boosted its numbers. This time, The Odyssey holds the weekend to itself, with no rival tentpole elbowing into its premium screens.

Advance ticket sales already underscore the demand. The film has sold out 70mm IMAX screens a full year in advance, with a three-week exclusive run secured in the premium format. The audience skews heavily male and over 25, running slightly ahead of Oppenheimer on first-choice metrics and matching the early pace of Project Hail Mary, which launched to $80.5 million.

The Odyssey’s cast tilts the scales further. Matt Damon plays Odysseus, the war-weary king battling mythical horrors on his journey home to Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway. Around them swirls a cast that includes Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, and Jon Bernthal. That roster reaches well beyond the director’s core cinephile base.

So, if history is a pattern, then the opening numbers will be only part of the story. Nolan’s films are renowned for their staying power rather than front-loaded weekends.

Source: Comingsoon.net