Nolan's "The Odyssey" opens to $264m worldwide, his biggest ever debut

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The Odyssey has had a massive opening weekend at the box office. As well as opening bigger than any Christopher Nolan movie to date, topping The Dark Knight Rises, the movie scored the second-biggest IMAX opening weekend ever, coming in behind only Avengers: Endgame.

Debuting to an enormous $264m worldwide ($124.5m domestic), The Odyssey blew past initial projections , powered by extremely positive word-of-mouth (it achieved an A Cinemascore), sold out round-the-clock IMAX 70mm showings , and a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating . Our own The Odyssey review awards the film 5 stars, and calls it "mythical filmmaking of the highest order."

On paper, for a near-3-hour, R-rated historical fantasy, this is surprising. But the Christopher Nolan name has become a brand unto itself that rivals, and arguably eclipses, the likes of Marvel, Star Wars, and DC in the minds of contemporary moviegoers. What's more impressive is that, unlike most event cinema, Nolan's movies tend to have extraordinary legs, meaning we could still be seeing impressive results for weeks to come.

In just over a week, The Odyssey will have stiff competition in the form of Spider-Man: Brand New Day . But one battlefield they won't be fighting on is IMAX screens, as Nolan's movie has a 3-week exclusive run on the premium large format. Spidey, on the other hand, will be swinging onto 4DX, Screen X, and Dolby Vision screens.

The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's epic adaptation of Homer's ancient poem, tells the story of Odysseus (Matt Damon) and his perilous journey home following the Trojan War. Our The Odyssey beginner's guide will get you up to speed before heading to the theater.

Once you've seen the movie, dive into our The Odyssey ending explained , or our The Odyssey changes deep-dive for a full breakdown.