The Odyssey tipped for a $200m opening weekend, but needs much, much more

It’s primed to be the biggest blockbuster of the year.

Helmed by Christopher Nolan and powered up by stars like Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and even Robert Pattinson in a rare turn as the villain in the Greek myth retelling, everyone’s predicting it to be a roaring success.

Throw in the fact that all of the dominant films at the box office, such as Obsession and Backrooms, are finally fading and the new releases didn’t do well, all eyes will be on The Odyssey.

However, reports suggest that, while the opening weekend is primed to be huge, it’ll need several weeks of similar returns to meet its goal.

IMAX, Popular Myths, and Mighty Pre-Sales


Running through the numbers for The Odyssey’s box office projections is very impressive.

The historical adventure is tipped by Variety to make it to around $90 million to $100 million from 3,900 cinemas in North America. This would make it the third-biggest release in the US and Canada this year, despite being rated R (18).

In the UK and Ireland, similarly impressive figure are expected. Cinema advertising company Pearl & Dean is predicting an opening of between £8 million and £10 million ($10.8m-$13.5m) and an eventual total haul of up to £55 million ($74 million).

Similar ticket sales can be expected across other major film markets, like France. Forecasting across the globe, then, Deadline reports an expected $200 million from the worldwide opening weekend box office.

The movie that’s been filmed entirely with IMAX cameras expects around $110 million overseas after 22,700 screenings in 73 countries. Japan, China, and Korea get a later release date.

All of this anticipation comes from a surge in pre-sale tickets, particularly for IMAX screenings – that charge a premium – as well as the hype around the film. It’s adapting a famous myth from a very popular setting.

Look anywhere in entertainment, especially in the collection of Megaways slots online, and you’ll find several popular Ancient Greek products. Poseidon Ancient Fortunes Megaways is a headline act here. After all, Poseidon is among the most famed Greek gods, and does play a role in the source material for The Odyssey.

Add in other games like Gods of Olympus III Megaways and the Age of the Gods series, and it’s clear that these developers see a huge demand for more experiences set in the tales of Ancient Greece. The Odyssey joins this trend.

Will it All be Enough to Make a Return on the Investment
Something that’s often missed by onlookers is that studios, including major ones like Universal Pictures, always want their films to make a lot of money. They’ve invested at least $250 million in The Odyssey’s production.

From there, it’s been reported that $125 million has been spent on marketing. Now, as a rule of thumb, accounting for the slice of the ticket that goes to cinemas and the unreported spending, you double the production budget.

That’s put The Odyssey’s cost at $500 million. However, Forbes puts the breakeven point a fair bit higher – up at between $625 million and $750 million. Of Nolan’s films, five have exceeded that lower bar.

Despite the immense amount of hype in The Odyssey and interest in the works it’s adapting, it’ll need a huge run worldwide to turn a profit. Still, if any film this year can reach those heights, it’ll be Nolan’s take on the Greek epic.