Box Office Odyssey: Christopher Nolan’s Record-Breaking US Debut?

US Box Office July 17-19, 2026

1 – The Odyssey: $124,500,000 (New)

2 – Moana: $19,000,000 (total: $82,081,410)

3 – Minions and Monsters: $14,800,000 (total: $137,584,465)

4 – Toy Story 5: $14,800,000 (total: $430,918,566)

5 – Evil Dead Burn: $5,000,000 (total: $24,150,512)

6 – The Invitation: $3,905,908 (total: $15,017,889)

7 – Young Washington: $3,678,487 (total: $41,018,236)

8 – Obsession: $2,500,000 (total: $258,491,260)

9 – Supergirl: $1,525,000 (total: $69,957,228)

10 – Disclosure Day: $1,450,000 (total: $114,703,560)

Highlights

Much like Agamemnon’s soldiers stormed the city of Troy, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” seized the top spot at the American box office right out of the gate. Given its nearly three-hour running time and an R rating, its high ranking wasn’t a given, yet Nolan has once again defied expectations and outperformed his previous success with “Oppenheimer,” which had already surprised many experts.

With an impressive $124.5 million in ticket sales over its opening weekend, according to estimates reported on Sunday, July 19, “The Odyssey” marks the third strongest debut of Nolan’s career in the United States, trailing only behind “The Dark Knight” ($158.4 million) and “The Dark Knight Rises” ($160.9 million), which had the advantage of the Batman legacy and superhero popularity upon their releases.

Historically, whenever a Nolan film has opened with over $100 million domestically, it has gone on to gross over one billion globally. This trend holds even more true with “Oppenheimer,” which nearly reached the billion mark after starting at $82.4 million. “The Odyssey” has already made a quarter of its global journey, amassing $264.1 million, setting a new record in the director’s illustrious career.

Millions and Monsters

Amid such a box office tsunami, only crumbs remain for the competition, with “Moana” grabbing the largest share despite a 56% drop from its opening weekend. To date, this live-action remake of the Disney classic has accumulated $82 million and is expected to cross the $100 million mark soon, though its performance has been somewhat muted compared to the beloved original.

Meanwhile, two other family-oriented, animated films, “Minions and Monsters” and “Toy Story 5,” each brought in $14.8 million over the same period, showing robust consistency which should help them through the summer. The latest from Pixar is nearing the billion-dollar mark, a milestone that the newest Illumination production may struggle to reach.

While “Supergirl” continues its decline, losing only one spot this week, it’s unlikely to cross the $100 million mark in the US as its digital release looms. This positions it as the first flop of the new DC Universe, which will have several opportunities to redeem itself with upcoming releases like “Clayface” in the fall and “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” next summer.

Lastly, “Evil Dead Burn,” despite lower initial earnings than its franchise predecessors and a 63.5% drop in revenue from its debut, has already covered its production budget of $20 million on American soil alone, where director Sebastien Vanicek may continue to make his mark.

Figures: Box-Office Mojo