Christopher Nolan defies backlash from Elon Musk and other right wing members as The Odyssey sets new $264m record

Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, has made a record-breaking debut at the global box office, grossing an estimated $264.1 million worldwide during its opening weekend to become the biggest opening of the Oscar-winning director’s career.

The epic adaptation of Homer’s classic poem surpassed the $249 million opening of Nolan’s 2012 blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises, which remains his highest-grossing film after earning more than $1 billion globally.

Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron and Elliot Page, The Odyssey also delivered Nolan’s biggest international opening, generating $139.6 million from 73 territories across 25,600 screens. The film has become Nolan’s highest opening in 48 countries, including France, Italy, Brazil and India, while ranking as the second-biggest international debut for an R-rated film, behind Deadpool & Wolverine.

Universal Pictures said the film also recorded the studio’s biggest-ever opening weekend in 11 international markets. Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of Distribution at Universal Pictures, said the film had united audiences around the world.

“With The Odyssey, we had the extraordinary opportunity to unite moviegoers worldwide around a story that has resonated across cultures for centuries,” she said. “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.” Produced on a reported budget of $250 million, with an estimated $125 million spent on marketing, the film has already recovered its production costs through its strong opening performance.

The Odyssey is also the first feature film to be shot entirely using IMAX 70mm cameras. The film has received widespread critical acclaim, earning a 95 per cent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 88 on Metacritic. Critics have praised its ambitious scale, visual storytelling and ensemble performances, with several publications describing it as one of the year’s best films.

Despite its commercial and critical success, the release has been accompanied by online controversy. Review aggregators have seen an unusually high number of one-star audience ratings alongside overwhelmingly positive reviews, prompting speculation that the film has been the target of coordinated review-bombing.

The production also faced criticism before its release over some casting decisions, particularly the selection of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy. Some critics on social media argued the casting departed from traditional depictions of the mythological character, while others defended the decision. Responding to the backlash, Nyong’o said The Odyssey is a work of mythology and supported Nolan’s creative vision.

“This is a mythological story,” she said, adding that the cast “is representative of the world.” The film also attracted criticism from some online users over the casting of actor Elliot Page, who plays the Greek soldier Sinon. Nolan dismissed the criticism, describing Page as “incredible” and praising his performance.

“We worked on Inception some years ago. I felt with his character in The Odyssey, he brings something really special to it,” Nolan said. “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.”

With its record-breaking box office debut and strong critical reception, The Odyssey has emerged as one of the biggest cinematic successes of 2026 despite the online controversy surrounding its release.