The Odyssey has surpassed all other IMAX films in Box Office earnings. This groundbreaking movie, the first ever filmed entirely with IMAX cameras, is Christopher Nolan’s interpretation of Homer’s timeless epic. It features a stellar cast of Nolan’s frequent collaborators, including Matt Damon (Oppenheimer), Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises), Robert Pattinson (Tenet), Himesh Patel (Tenet), and Elliot Page (Inception).
IMAX tickets for The Odyssey, which premiered on July 17, were made available a whole year prior to it’s release, and this extended anticipation has significantly contributed to the film crossing the $1 billion mark globally within just a month of it’s theatrical run.
IMAX has officially declared that The Odyssey is now the highest-grossing IMAX release in history. This remarkable achievement was reached during it’s fourth weekend in theaters, where it amassed a total global IMAX gross of $289 million, accounting for approximately 26% of it’s impressive billion-dollar global Box Office total.
During its fourth weekend, the film generated $52 million worldwide. It’s unprecedented run of four consecutive weekends earning over $50 million on IMAX screens sets a new record, as no other IMAX release has ever surpassed $50 million in just two consecutive weekends.
The IMAX 70mm showings of The Odyssey have generated an impressive $37.5 million across just 41 screens, with L.A.’s TCL Chinese Theatre setting a new record for the highest earnings by a single title at one IMAX venue.
According to IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond, “On behalf of IMAX, I would like to express our heartfelt congratulations and sincere appreciation to Chris, producer Emma Thomas, the entire team behind The Odyssey, and our partners at Universal for this remarkable accomplishment — breaking our long-standing Box Office record with over a month still to go on IMAX screens around the globe. From the very beginning, we held the highest expectations for The Odyssey, yet it continues to surpass them, and it’s unprecedented success is leading us toward what we anticipate will be our most successful year ever at the global Box Office.”
The Christopher Nolan film is poised to further increase the distance between itself and the next highest-grossing IMAX film, 2009’s Avatar ($270 million), in the upcoming weeks. It’s IMAX engagement is scheduled to last until at least September 17, providing it with over a month to attract more audiences to those premium large format screens.
With this achievement, The Odyssey is pushing Rogue One – A Star Wars Story ($110 million) out of the company’s Top 10 list. Below, you can find the revised chart showcasing the 10 highest-grossing IMAX films of all time, with estimated figures that are not adjusted for inflation.
TOP 10 IMAX BOX OFFICE
| Rank | Movies | IMAX Box Office |
| 1 | The Odyssey | $289 Million + |
| 2 | Avatar | $270 Million |
| 3 | Avatar – The Way of Water | $259 Million |
| 4 | Star Wars – The Force Awakens | $214 Million |
| 5 | Avengers – Endgame | $207 Million |
| 6 | Avatar – Fire & Ash | $184 Million |
| 7 | Oppenheimer | $183 Million |
| 8 | Avengers – Infinity War | $144 Million |
| 9 | Star Wars – The Last Jedi | $115 Million |
| 10 | Top Gun – Maverick | $110 Million |
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has made history as only the second film of this decade to secure a spot in the all-time IMAX Top 5, following James Cameron’s highly anticipated 2022 sci-fi sequel, Avatar – The Way of Water, which ranks as the third highest-grossing film globally.
It has accomplished all of this even while contending with the formidable competition posed by the record-breaking Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Spider-Man – Brand New Day, which launched two weekends after The Odyssey and quickly crossed the $1 billion global threshold first.
Despite the competition, The Odyssey has established itself as a must-see film in IMAX. This is largely due to Christopher Nolan’s enduring support for theatrical releases and his approach to crafting films as grand spectacles, which includes the groundbreaking use of IMAX cameras in this latest installment. As a result, it has surpassed Spider-Man’s impressive IMAX earnings to set a new record.