Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey captured the global weekend box office No. 1 spot with $45.96 million, edging past Spider-Man: Brand New Day ($44.1 million) in its eighth week of release. With $1.627 billion worldwide, the Universal epic became the highest-grossing release in IMAX history with $486 million in format sales.
LOS ANGELES — Universal Pictures' historical epic The Odyssey, directed by Christopher Nolan, claimed the No. 1 spot at the global weekend box office, narrowly edging out Sony and Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The Odyssey pulled in an estimated $45.96 million worldwide across its eighth weekend of theatrical release, surpassing the $44.1 million generated by Spider-Man: Brand New Day in its sixth frame. The shift marks the first time Nolan's Homeric adaptation has led the worldwide weekend chart since the Marvel release debuted in late July, highlighting unusual theatrical endurance and cementing an uncommon head-to-head box office battle between co-stars Tom Holland and Zendaya, who appear in both blockbusters.
Nolan Epic Edges Past Marvel Contender
According to studio estimates compiled by tracking agencies on Sunday, The Odyssey maintained strong overseas holds and steady domestic returns. In North America, the feature added $13 million across the three-day weekend, complemented by an international haul of $32.9 million spanning 84 foreign markets.
The figures pushed the cumulative worldwide gross of The Odyssey to $1.627 billion, with $584.7 million earned domestically and more than $1.04 billion generated from overseas territories. In achieving this, The Odyssey became the 17th film in cinematic history to cross $1 billion in international receipts alone, putting it within reach of surpassing Jurassic World ($1.67 billion) as Universal's highest-grossing release of all time.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day collected $44.1 million globally over the same period, bringing its worldwide lifetime haul to approximately $2.4 billion, including over $917 million in North America. While the web-slinger installment maintains a firm grip as the third highest-grossing film of all time—trailing only Avatar and Avengers: Endgame—its sixth-weekend pace allowed The Odyssey to claim the top worldwide spot.
IMAX Demand Drives Theatrical Staying Power
Premium large-format screens, particularly IMAX, served as the primary growth engine enabling The Odyssey to recapture the global peak in its second month of release.
The film generated $22.2 million from global IMAX screens over the three-day frame, pushing its lifetime IMAX total to $486 million. That milestone officially established The Odyssey as the highest-grossing title in IMAX history, eclipsing previous benchmarks set by James Cameron's Avatar. In Japan, where the movie held limited preview screenings across 62 IMAX venues ahead of its broader national rollout, it collected $755,000.
Exhibition partners across North America and Europe have repeatedly extended exclusive 70mm and IMAX engagements well past initial projections to accommodate sell-out crowds seeking large-format screenings. Strong holds across international territories—including South Korea ($80 million cumulative total), the United Kingdom ($111.2 million), and China ($98.4 million)—further stabilized its global trajectory.
Commercial and Exhibition Landscape Impact
The weekend reshuffle generates broad economic and strategic implications for global entertainment markets:
Exhibition Chains: Theater operators, including AMC Theatres and Cinemark, secure sustained late-summer box office turnover, extending what has become Hollywood's most lucrative theatrical corridor since 2019.
Studio Production Strategies: Demonstrates that original, director-driven historical epics can sustain long theatrical runs alongside established franchise intellectual property.
Premium Format Valuation: Confirms that consumer willingness to pay surcharges for high-end formats like IMAX Corporation provides long-tail protection against week-over-week drop-offs.
Distributor Forecasting: Forces distribution executives to re-evaluate traditional release spacing, showing that two multi-billion-dollar titles can thrive concurrently in shared release windows.
Official Sources
According to distribution data reported by Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures, along with global theatrical audits provided by Comscore and trade figures published by Deadline, The Odyssey recorded $45.96 million globally to secure the weekend lead.
Commercial theatrical operations and screen reporting fall under compliance standards monitored by the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) and the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
Box Office Commentary
According to officials and studio distribution executives tracking international admissions, theatrical endurance has become the defining characteristic of this box office cycle.
Distribution analysts noted in weekend performance memos:
"The Odyssey reclaiming the global weekend summit in its eighth frame is a rare modern box office feat. It underscores that premium large formats and strong critical reception can sustain long-term box office runs, even while competing against multi-billion-dollar franchise tentpoles."
Why It Matters
The box office realignment carries significant practical relevance:
Format-Driven Longevity: Illustrates that premium presentation methods insulate adult-skewing dramatic tentpoles from rapid digital streaming conversion.
Theatrical Viability: Validates substantial non-franchise studio investments, proving large-scale auteur projects can challenge dominant superhero IP at global box office turnstiles.
Global Market Diversification: Highlights regional performance differences, with The Odyssey leading in territories such as South Korea, France, and Italy, while Spider-Man leads in China and Latin America.
Key Facts at a Glance
Weekend Winner: The Odyssey ($45.96 million global weekend gross).
Runner-Up: Spider-Man: Brand New Day ($44.1 million global weekend gross).
Cumulative Totals: The Odyssey stands at $1.627 billion; Spider-Man: Brand New Day stands at $2.40 billion.
IMAX Milestone: The Odyssey has grossed $486 million on IMAX screens alone, making it the highest-grossing film in the format's history.
Director and Cast: Directed by Christopher Nolan; stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did The Odyssey make to beat Spider-Man this weekend?
The Odyssey generated an estimated $45.96 million worldwide during its eighth weekend, surpassing Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which earned $44.1 million in its sixth frame.
What is the total global gross for The Odyssey so far?
The Odyssey has reached a worldwide cumulative gross of $1.627 billion, including $584.7 million from North American theaters and over $1.04 billion from international markets.
What box office record did The Odyssey break in IMAX?
With $486 million in worldwide receipts on large-format screens, The Odyssey has become the highest-grossing film in IMAX history.
Which film has grossed more overall between the two?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day remains significantly higher on the all-time chart with a global gross of $2.4 billion, ranking as the third highest-grossing movie in history behind Avatar and Avengers: Endgame.
Source: Official studio tracking data from Universal Pictures, box office tallies from Sony Pictures, global exhibition metrics verified by Comscore, and performance updates via Deadline.
