‘The Odyssey’ Just Delivered Christopher Nolan’s Biggest Opening Ever Overseas
Christopher Nolan’s international rollout for ‘The Odyssey’ has turned into a string of record-breaking headlines this week, and France is proving to be one of the biggest stories of the bunch. With the film already dominating conversations around US previews and Italian box office numbers, the French market has now added its own chapter to Nolan’s growing list of career milestones.
The French debut started strong from the very first day. Released Wednesday in 730 theaters, ‘The Odyssey’ attracted 230,000 spectators for its first day in France, landing as the third best opening day of 2026 behind ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ at 315,000 admissions and ‘Michael’ at 285,000 spectators. That single day already outpaced ‘Oppenheimer’, which drew 160,000 spectators during its French release back in 2023.
The momentum only built from there once Thursday numbers came in. By the end of Thursday, Nolan’s epic had reached close to five million dollars from 416,000 admissions in France, adding 2.4 million dollars on Thursday alone from 228,000 admissions, a jump of 97 percent above ‘Oppenheimer’s’ comparable numbers. That kind of over the top growth between a film’s first two days is rare even for a director with Nolan’s track record.
The word of mouth backing those numbers appears to be holding steady rather than fading. Reviews across French outlets have remained largely positive through the film’s first two days in release, echoing the strong critical reception the film has received globally on Rotten Tomatoes. That combination of front-loaded curiosity and sustained enthusiasm is exactly the pattern distributors hope to see heading into a full weekend.
France has always been one of Nolan’s strongest international markets, and this release looks set to reinforce that reputation. ‘Oppenheimer’ ultimately grossed 43.2 million dollars in France, ranking among its top-grossing territories worldwide alongside the UK, China, and Germany, and industry expectations heading into ‘The Odyssey’s’ release had already pointed to France as one of the markets most likely to rally behind Nolan again.
With Wednesday and Thursday numbers both trending well ahead of ‘Oppenheimer’s’ pace, France is shaping up to be a genuine bright spot in Nolan’s global rollout this weekend. If that momentum holds through the full five-day opening, ‘The Odyssey’ could end up standing as one of the director’s strongest showings in the market to date, adding yet another country to the growing list of places where this mythological epic is outperforming expectations.
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