Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has created history at IMAX. As per a press release by IMAX, the epic action drama from Universal Pictures registered a record-breaking global opening weekend of $52 million on IMAX screens. The film is significant as it’s the first-ever theatrical release to be shot entirely using IMAX 70mm film cameras.
IMAX contributed a massive 20% to the film’s worldwide opening weekend collections. The film also achieved a series of milestones, becoming the biggest global IMAX opener ever in like-for-like markets (excluding China, Japan and South Korea), surpassing the previous record by 16%. It also recorded the biggest international IMAX opening weekend in these markets and the second-biggest domestic IMAX opening weekend ever.
The film also emerged as the biggest IMAX opener for a Christopher Nolan film, the biggest IMAX opening for a Universal release and the biggest July opening ever for the format. It also set a new record for IMAX pre-sales, crossing $50 million.
The Odyssey benefited immensely from the premium IMAX 70mm format, with the film being showcased in 41 IMAX 70mm locations worldwide. These screens alone collected $6.3 million during the opening weekend, averaging an impressive $153,000 per screen. The film will continue its IMAX run for at least three weeks globally, with releases in South Korea on August 5, China on August 14 and Japan on September 11. Several IMAX 70mm locations have already reported sold-out shows well into the film’s theatrical run. As per the press release, the film will be screened in 70mm theatres for at least five weeks.
In North America, The Odyssey collected $29.6 million from IMAX screens, accounting for a huge 23.8% share of the film’s domestic opening. This came from just 444 IMAX screens.
Internationally, the film earned $22.2 million from 441 IMAX screens across 74 markets, contributing 16% of its international box office. As many as 26 markets recorded their biggest-ever IMAX opening weekend, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Mexico and Argentina.
Internationally, the film earned $22.2 million from 441 IMAX screens across 74 markets, contributing 16% of its international box office. As many as 26 markets recorded their biggest-ever IMAX opening weekend, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Mexico and Argentina.
Overall, IMAX grossed $60 million worldwide during the weekend of July 17, with local-language films from China, Japan and South Korea also contributing to the numbers. China’s All Wishes Come True was the biggest contributor among local films, earning $3.3 million.
Avengers: Endgame record unbroken
The record for the biggest worldwide IMAX opening weekend still belongs to Avengers: Endgame (2019), which earned $91.5 million from IMAX screens during its debut. However, The Odyssey has created a new benchmark for the biggest global IMAX opening weekend in like-for-like markets, excluding territories where its release was delayed or staggered, such as China, Japan and South Korea.
Prior to The Odyssey, this specific record was held by Oppenheimer (2023) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), both of which recorded $48 million in worldwide IMAX opening weekend collections.
