Christopher Nolan defies backlash as The Odyssey sets glorious new $264,000,000 record

As his latest blockbuster, The Odyssey, continues to spark debate and even fury online, Sir Christopher Nolan has come out on top.

Released into cinemas this week with a gold-star cast comprising Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, and more, the Greek epic has undeniably conquered the box office.

In a record start for the Oscar-winning director, The Odyssey has raked in $264.1million (£196m) worldwide this weekend, surpassing the $249m (£185m) opening of 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, which went on to become Nolan’s highest-grossing film as it exceeded one billion.

And the achievements don’t cease there, as the filmmaker behind some of Hollywood’s most ambitious titles has also secured his largest international opening by pulling in $139.6m (£104m) overseas.

Such a figure puts it ahead of The Dark Knight Rises and Oppenheimer (2023) after landing in 73 territories and on 25,600 screens.

What’s more, The Odyssey becomes Nolan’s biggest opener in 48 countries, including France, Italy, Brazil, and India, and sits just behind Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) as the second-best for an R-rated movie abroad.

So, in short, while based on one of the oldest works of literature, The Odyssey is dominating with 2026 cinemagoers.

Having become Universal’s biggest-ever opening in 11 markets, Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of distribution, said: ‘With The Odyssey, we had the extraordinary opportunity to unite moviegoers worldwide around a story that has resonated across cultures for centuries.

‘Christopher Nolan’s passion, vision and unique cinematic voice consistently drive anticipation and attendance on a truly global scale. He, alongside the force that is Emma Thomas, continues to set the standard for ambitious, event filmmaking. 

‘The Odyssey is that rare kind of movie that brings audiences together across every market in a shared cultural moment.’

Thanks to such a strong debut, The Odyssey has already broken even, what with a colossal budget of $250m (£186m). Its marketing costs have been reported at $125m (£93m), making a $375m total before the theatre cut, but after entering record-breaking territory within a mere two days, Nolan has every reason to assume there won’t be any losses here.

The Odyssey, which also stars Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron, is the first movie to be shot entirely on IMAX’s 70mm film cameras.

It’s received glowing feedback in its reviews, with critics lauding its ‘boldness’ and ‘charismatic ensemble’, declaring it a ‘masterpiece’ and the best release of the year thus far.

The Daily Telegraph branded it a ‘fearsome and trailblazing machine of a movie’, The Independent hailed it as a ‘blockbuster of literally unprecedented scale’, while The New York Times commended Nolan for ‘turning a 3,000-year-old poem into a smart, thoughtful film with Old Hollywood allure’.

And in Metro‘s own five-star review, Tori Brazier was full of compliments for the ‘gripping’ silver screen retelling of a classic story, which, while an adaptation of Homer’s poem about his perilous journey home following the Trojan War, still feels ‘timeless’.

‘Some omissions are made, as expected, but the film still honours and is faithful to the spirit of Homer’s Odyssey,’ she penned, adding: ‘Nolan manages to reassert both the humanity and brutality of this story to bring something truly timeless to the big screen.’

Release week hasn’t proved without its obstacles for The Odyssey, though, as it has seemingly suffered unprecedented ‘review-bombing’ online.

Sitting firmly among Nolan’s most acclaimed works, The Odyssey has landed with a 95% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 88 on Metacritic.

There, it’s been flooded with perfect reviews, securing five-star rankings galore and 10s on IMDb. Buried within, however, are a disproportionately large share of single-star reviews, with 37% giving it top marks on RT yet a jarring 13.9% slapping it with the lowest possible score.

With practically no middle ground, it’s been speculated that coordinated review bombing is occurring, which also hit Disney’s 2023 live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, following criticism of Halle Bailey’s Ariel casting.

Similarly, ahead of release, The Odyssey was met with backlash for its hiring choices.

With Black Panther’s Nyong’o, 43, portraying the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Troy, certain X users (including Elon Musk himself) were up in arms, declaring that Nolan was ‘p***ing on Homer’s grave’ with such a move.

Some even called Nolan a ‘coward’ for casting her as ‘the face that launched 1,000 ships’ over a white woman, while others accused him of being hungry for awards.

Responding to the racist criticism, Nyong’o reminded audiences that The Odyssey is a work of fiction: ‘This is a mythological story.’

She added to Elle: ‘I’m very supportive of Chris’ intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling. Our cast is representative of the world. I’m not spending my time thinking of a defence. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.’

The masculinity of Elliot Page was questioned, too, after he came out as a trans man in 2021.

In The Odyssey, Page, 39, plays Sinon, a Greek soldier and the son of a servant of Antinous, which ruffled the feathers of transphobic keyboard warriors.

But Nolan has stood firm, calling Page ‘incredible’ to work with, fiercely hitting back at the trolls.

‘We worked on Inception some years ago. I felt with his character in The Odyssey, he brings something really special to it,’ the director told Rolling Stone.

‘Because, in a way, you’re looking to put a face on certain elements of what Odysseus has done, what that means for the world as a whole. You’re looking to put a face on the tragedy of war. And I think he did an incredible job.’

So, regardless of any internet chatter or review sabotage, Nolan and his cast will keep laughing all the way to the bank.

The Odyssey is in cinemas now.