‘The Odyssey’ Just Crushed ‘Toy Story 5’ to Claim the Biggest Non-Holiday Monday of the Year
Christopher Nolan has spent his entire career proving that original, adult-driven films can still dominate multiplexes in an era obsessed with franchises and sequels. ‘The Odyssey’ has spent its opening days making that case louder than almost anything he has released before, turning what should have been a tough sell into one of the year’s defining box office stories.
The film’s momentum showed no signs of cooling once opening weekend gave way to the workweek. Rather than settling into the typical steep Monday drop most blockbusters experience, Nolan’s mythological epic kept pulling audiences back into theaters at a pace that stunned even seasoned box office watchers.
According to reports, ‘The Odyssey’ overperformed again on Monday, recording the biggest non-holiday Monday of 2026 with nearly $19 million, surpassing ‘Toy Story 5’s‘ first Monday total of $17.3 million. That kind of hold speaks to just how strong word of mouth has been for a nearly three-hour, R-rated release that few expected to perform this well on a random weekday.
The number also places ‘The Odyssey’ in rare company within Nolan’s own filmography. Reports note the film’s Monday gross ranks as the third biggest Monday ever for a Nolan movie, trailing only The Dark Knight’s $24.4 million and The Dark Knight Rises’ $19.3 million from their respective release weeks.
That kind of comparison carries extra weight given how differently ‘The Odyssey’ is positioned compared to those earlier blockbusters. Unlike Nolan’s Batman trilogy, which benefited from built in franchise recognition, ‘The Odyssey’ had to build its audience purely on Nolan’s name, an all star ensemble, and strong reviews rather than existing brand loyalty.
Those reviews have clearly played a role in sustaining ticket sales well past opening weekend. The film earned an A grade on CinemaScore exit polls and a 95 percent score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, numbers that suggest the kind of enthusiastic word of mouth capable of carrying a film through its second and third weeks.
Premium format demand has also remained a defining factor in the film’s continued strength. Reports note that IMAX seats have been notoriously hard to secure in major markets like Los Angeles and New York City, with the format continuing to drive a significant share of the film’s daily grosses well beyond its opening frame.
‘The Odyssey’s’ opening weekend alone already made history, delivering Nolan’s biggest worldwide opening ever and becoming the third biggest domestic debut of the year behind only ‘Toy Story 5’ and ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.’ Beating out a Monday total from a Pixar sequel already sitting near the top of the year’s box office charts only reinforces how unusual this level of sustained interest has become.
The ensemble cast has clearly played a major part in that sustained pull. Led by Matt Damon as Odysseus, the film’s stacked lineup includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, and John Leguizamo, giving audiences a genuine embarrassment of star power to draw from across marketing and reviews alike.
Can The Odyssey Become One of 2026's Biggest Box Office Hits?
With the film continuing to outperform expectations well past its opening weekend, ‘The Odyssey’ looks increasingly positioned for a lengthy theatrical run rather than a quick front-loaded spike. Given how rare it is for an original, non-franchise blockbuster to post numbers like this on a random Monday, Nolan’s latest may end up being remembered as one of the defining box office success stories of the year.
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