After all the promotion and attempts at controversy over the perceived ‘wokeness’ of a new take on one of the oldest stories in written history, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” finally unveils for the viewing public this week.
Talk has swirled about how 70MM IMAX showtimes for opening night sold out a year ago, and how some IMAX screenings in the UK have sold out for weeks, and reviews are hitting any minute which will move the hype even more.
Now, Deadline reports that going into the weekend, the film is tracking for a domestic debut of $85-100 million and a further $110 million overseas for a worldwide start of over $200 million.
That’s a little above the $181.1 million worldwide start of “Oppenheimer” and the trade says the biggest question is how much the film will overindex and in what markets.
There’s no direct competition opening this weekend, though the ongoing World Cup is expected to have some impact. The film’s three-hour runtime, R rating and push to be seen on IMAX screens could have some impact as well, with many expecting the post-weekend sales on those large-format screens to continue robustly for weeks to come.
How much other titles, such as last weekend’s “Moana,” will be impacted also remains to be seen.
