‘The Odyssey’ Is Still Holding Strong Despite Historic Competition from ‘Spider-Man’

Despite the historic opening of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" with a $932 million global debut, Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" has maintained strong performance in theaters. In its third weekend, the film grossed $51 million in the U.S. and Canada, and $136 million worldwide, totaling $395 million domestic and $911 million global.

The film continued to draw audiences on its third Monday, earning $10 million domestically despite "Spider-Man"'s strong numbers. Boxoffice Company's Daniel Loria praised "The Odyssey" for outperforming expectations, particularly when compared to Nolan's previous film, "Oppenheimer," which despite a high box office, still failed to surpass "The Odyssey" in terms of audience reception.

If the trend continues, "The Odyssey" is poised to reach $1 billion globally by the fourth weekend, potentially surpassing Nolan's 2023 film "Oppenheimer" in global gross. The film aims to join the ranks of "Joker" and "Deadpool & Wolverine" as the third R-rated film to gross over $1 billion worldwide, joining a select group of comic book blockbusters in this achievement.

While it's challenging to surpass the $1 billion domestic run of the 2022 hit "Top Gun: Maverick," "The Odyssey" has a similar trajectory and may still surpass that mark. The film's performance is expected to be particularly strong among older audiences, who tend to stay engaged with films in later weeks, potentially leading to a $600 million-plus domestic run.

If "The Odyssey" continues its current pace, it could become the highest-grossing R-rated film ever, surpassing even the Marvel film "Deadpool & Wolverine." Ultimately, the film is on track to become the third-highest-grossing movie in Universal Pictures' history, trailing only behind "Jurassic World" and "Furious 7."