“The Odyssey” didn’t need a Trojan Horse to break into the top of Friday’s box office charts.
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Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” earned $51 million on Friday from 3,919 North American screens. Early estimates had the saga grossing $90 million to $100 million by Sunday, but after a stellar opening day, forecasts have the film climbing as high as $120 million. “The Odyssey” will soon become the third film in 2026 to open above $100 million after “Toy Story 5” ($159 million) and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” ($131 million). “The Odyssey” carries a hefty $250 million price tag.
An $120 million opening for “The Odyssey” would rank as Nolan’s best since “The Dark Knight Rises,” which debuted to a staggering $160 million in 2012. Weekend one projections for “The Odyssey” blow past Nolan’s 2023 best picture winner, “Oppenheimer,” which made $82 million over its opening weekend and powered to $975 million by the end of its run. Also, with $51 million on Friday, “The Odyssey” has already outgrossed the entire opening weekend of Nolan’s 2014 opus “Interstellar” ($47.5 million).
“The Odyssey,” based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic, chronicles the tale of Odysseus, who must make the arduous journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, leading an all-star cast of Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal and John Leguizamo.
“Moana” landed at No. 2 on Friday with just $5.5 million as it heads into its second weekend in North American theaters. Rival estimates have the live-action remake earning $19 million by Sunday, which would represent a 56% drop for its soft $43 million domestic opening.
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Variety reported that, factoring in its $250 million production budget, “Moana” could lose around $100 million for Disney if tides don’t turn its way. While rare, it has happened before. In 2024, Disney’s live-action “Lion King” spinoff, “Mufasa,” opened to just $34 million but made it to $722 million worldwide by the end of its run. However, that movie debuted at Christmas time, meaning it had free rein over cineplexes during the slow-release months of January and February. “Moana” has no such luxury, considering it’s got “Toy Story 5” and “Minions & Monsters” to catch up to.
Speaking of “Minions & Monsters,” that film added $4.3 million domestically on Friday for a third-place finish. It’s expected to collect $14 million through Sunday. Through three weekends of release, the animated adventure, which takes the yellow henchmen through the golden age of Hollywood, should reach a domestic gross of $136 million. “Minions & Monsters” is shaping up to be one of the lowest-earners in the franchise, but it was made for only $85 million, meaning Universal doesn’t need much more to push “Minions & Monsters” into the green.
Rounding out the Friday top five were “Toy Story 5” and “Evil Dead Burn.” “Toy Story 5” took fourth place with $4.2 million on Friday. By Sunday, it should make about $13.8 million, pushing its North American total to around $429 million through five weekends of release. Finally, “Evil Dead Burn” slotted at No. 5 after earning an estimated $1.4 million domestically. By the end of the weekend, it should gross about $4.7 million, putting its domestic total at around $23 million through Sunday.