The Odyssey has arrived in theaters, and Christopher Nolan's latest made-for-IMAX movie is off to a strong start. Ahead of what looks to be a bigger-than-expected opening weekend, the filmmaker's swords-and-sandals epic has been awarded an A CinemaScore from audiences.
That puts it on par with Oppenheimer, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises, and above Dunkirk (A-), Interstellar and Inception (B+), and Tenet, The Prestige, and Insomnia (B).
CinemaScore is a market research firm that surveys audience reactions to newly released movies. After attending opening night screenings, moviegoers rate films on an A+ to F scale, providing insights into audience satisfaction. Widely used in the film industry, CinemaScore helps gauge the initial reception of movies and influences box office predictions based on audience feedback.
This and a career-best Rotten Tomatoes score bode well for The Odyssey's opening weekend, which Deadline now expects to go as high as $117 million. That comes after a projected $50 million on Friday and gives it the third-highest opening of 2026 behind Toy Story 5 ($159.6 million) and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($131.7 million).
In terms of the rest of the top five, that's rounded out by Moana ($19 million), Minions & Monsters ($14.5 million), Toy Story 5 ($13 million), and Evil Dead Burn ($5 million).
Before The Odyssey was officially announced, there were rumours that Nolan planned to make an action-packed helicopter movie. That would either remake or pay homage to 1983's Blue Thunder starring Roy Scheider.
The filmmaker broke his silence on that in an interview with The Telegraph. Here's an excerpt from their piece, which saw Nolan put an end to the rumours once and for all:
"Having no smartphone, he adds, also means he’s never tempted to hop online to debunk rumors, spar with haters, or respond to gossip – such as the odd story that circulated last year that his next film would be a remake of the 1983 helicopter action thriller 'Blue Thunder.' He says he was 'bewildered' when he read it: 'I have absolutely no idea where it came from. And besides, I was always more of an Airwolf fan.'"
The cast of The Odyssey includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, Lupita Nyong'o, Will Yun Lee, Benny Safdie, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Corey Hawkins, Josh Stewart, Jimmy Gonzales, Maurice Compte, and Logan Marshall-Green.
Shot across the world using brand-new IMAX film technology, the film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time, and it's now playing in theaters.