Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Already Surpassed ‘Michael’ With a Massive Box Office Achievement
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is already making a major statement at the box office, and one of its first victories comes against Lionsgate’s ‘Michael.’ Before the full opening weekend numbers arrive, Nolan’s latest epic has already taken the lead in one important category.
According to Deadline, ‘The Odyssey’ earned around $15 million from Thursday night previews, based on early industry estimates. If the number holds, it will become the strongest preview performance of the year so far for a live-action movie, passing Lionsgate’s ‘Michael,’ which earned $12.6 million during previews before opening with $97.2 million domestically.
The comparison is notable because both films entered theaters with major expectations but came from very different places. ‘Michael’ arrived as a music biopic centered on one of the most famous entertainers in history, while ‘The Odyssey’ is a nearly three-hour adaptation of an ancient Greek epic directed by one of Hollywood’s biggest filmmakers.
Nolan’s film is showing the power of his name, the strength of the IMAX experience, and the excitement around a major theatrical event. The early preview numbers suggest audiences are willing to show up immediately rather than waiting for word of mouth.
The strong start also puts ‘The Odyssey’ ahead of Nolan’s own ‘Oppenheimer’ in preview earnings. That 2023 film made $10.5 million from Thursday previews before going on to earn an $82.4 million domestic opening weekend. ‘The Odyssey’ is already above that number, despite having a longer runtime and an R rating.
Deadline also reported that ‘The Odyssey’ is currently Nolan’s third biggest preview night in the United States, behind only ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ which earned $30.6 million, and ‘The Dark Knight,’ which made $18.5 million.
The film’s audience reaction has also helped build momentum. On Rotten Tomatoes, ‘The Odyssey’ currently has a 96% audience score, which is higher than every other Nolan movie. It sits above audience scores for ‘Batman Begins,’ ‘The Dark Knight,’ ‘Memento,’ and ‘Oppenheimer.’
The biggest challenge now is whether the movie can maintain that momentum beyond premium formats. Many fans are trying to see the film in IMAX or other large-format theaters, especially because Nolan filmed the movie using IMAX cameras.
According to Deadline’s sources, advance ticket sales were estimated to be between $30 million and $40 million before the weekend began. Some premium IMAX 70mm screenings reportedly sold out far in advance, showing how much audiences are interested in experiencing the film in the format Nolan intended.
What do you think will have the bigger box office run?
The early numbers put ‘The Odyssey’ in the same conversation as other major cinematic events. Deadline compared its preview performance to films like James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ which earned $17 million in previews, and ‘Dune: Part Two,’ which earned $12 million before opening.
While the final weekend numbers will decide how successful ‘The Odyssey’ truly becomes, its first battle has already been won. By surpassing ‘Michael’ in preview earnings, Nolan’s epic has announced itself as one of the biggest theatrical events of the year.
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