Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Is Overperforming In Europe, And It Could Carry the Entire International Opening

Christopher Nolan’s international box office track record has always leaned heavily on Europe, a pattern that dates back through ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Tenet’ and even his Batman trilogy. With ‘The Odyssey’ now rolling out across the globe, industry trackers have been watching closely to see whether that same geographic pattern would repeat itself for his latest epic.

The film arrived in several international markets ahead of its wider weekend release, giving analysts an early read on how audiences were responding market by market. Given the scale of the international rollout, with the movie playing across 73 territories and roughly 22,700 screens, even small regional swings were always going to carry significant weight for the overall global picture.

Early tracking suggests Europe is delivering in a big way. According to Global Box Office, ‘The Odyssey’ overperformed on Wednesday across the European box office, where it is now tracking to make $40 million to $50 million through Sunday, with the continent expected to represent as much as 55 percent to 70 percent of the film’s entire international opening weekend total.

That kind of concentration lines up with how Nolan’s international business has historically played out. His previous release, ‘Oppenheimer,’ pulled its strongest overseas results from markets like the UK, China and Germany, with the UK and Germany alone contributing more than $100 million combined to that film’s eventual $975 million worldwide total.

Universal is rolling ‘The Odyssey’ out across the same broad international footprint that carried ‘Oppenheimer’ to success, this time adding day and date releases in Italy and Greece rather than the delayed rollout those markets saw in 2023. Korea, Japan and China are following on later release schedules, which only increases how much early weight falls on Europe to anchor the film’s opening frame.

Universal has projected the film’s overall international opening at roughly $110 million against a domestic debut between $85 million and $100 million, putting the worldwide bow on track to clear $200 million. If Europe alone is tracking toward $40 million to $50 million, that puts the continent on pace to account for a substantial share of that entire international haul.

The stakes behind these numbers are significant given what Universal has invested in the project. ‘The Odyssey’ reportedly cost $250 million to produce, with the studio spending an additional $125 million marketing the film globally, including high-profile stops in London, Paris and Mumbai.

That kind of spending made the film’s international performance especially important to watch closely. Early advance ticket sales were already described as robust heading into release, with non-Universal sources pegging pre-release demand somewhere between $30 million and $40 million even before the wider rollout began.

Nolan’s fondness for shooting entirely in IMAX 70mm has also played a direct role in fueling that European demand. Several premium format venues across the continent reportedly sold out screenings a full year in advance, a level of advance commitment that speaks to just how much cachet Nolan’s format choices carry with dedicated moviegoers overseas.

If Europe continues to overperform at this pace through the weekend, it could meaningfully shift the balance of where ‘The Odyssey’ ultimately makes its money. A continent responsible for well over half of the international opening would represent an unusually concentrated performance, even by Nolan’s own historical standards.

That kind of strength also bodes well for the film’s long-term prospects. ‘Oppenheimer’ famously built much of its billion-dollar-plus final total on strong overseas legs rather than opening weekend numbers alone, and early signs suggest ‘The Odyssey’ could follow a similar trajectory if European audiences keep showing up in these numbers.

As more countries report their own weekend totals, a fuller picture of just how dominant this European performance turns out to be will continue coming into focus.

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