The Odyssey continues its epic box office run after its second weekend in theaters.
Christopher Nolan's critically-acclaimed adaptation of Homer's mythological tale has now earned $285 million domestically and $353.2 million overseas after just 10 days in theaters. The movie's global total now sits at $639.6 million.
The R-rated sword-and-sandals adventure will be tested this weekend when Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters, but box office analysts don't foresee a significant third-weekend drop, and The Odyssey should have no problem clearing $1 billion by the end of its theatrical run.
“Once or twice a year a movie opens big and then plays for weeks and weeks,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “The Odyssey is showing that kind of holding power.” “The Odyssey has crossed over from hit blockbuster to global cultural event,” adds IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond. “Our results indicate that audiences around the world will line up to experience this one-of-a-kind film in Imax for weeks, if not months, to come.”
Like most major studio releases, The Odyssey has been hit with leaks. A high-quality bootleg of the film reached millions of people on X thanks to a viral tweet on July 25, and reached over 2.1 million views within two and a half hours before being replaced by a takedown notice.
"Christopher Nolan’s next film The Odyssey is a mythic action epic 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 opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026," said Universal Pictures in a statement when the project was announced.
The poem has been adapted (sometimes very loosely) a number of times before, starting with the 1911 silent film by Giuseppe de Liguoro, and followed by 1954’s Ulysses starring Kirk Douglas. The Cohen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) is also based on the epic adventure, as is 2024’s The Return starring Ralph Fiennes.
Anime fans may also recall the '80s Ulysses 31 series, which put a futuristic spin on the tale.