• by Wayne Friedman , July 20, 2026

Universal Studios’ “The Odyssey,” from famed director Christopher Nolan, the heavily hyped summer movie, did not disappoint. It scored an epic $124 million opening weekend, according to Comscore -- the biggest opening for a live-action film so far this year. 

The movie overdelivered on pre-opening predictions of $80 million to $100 million.

“Odyssey” had heavy word-of-mouth marketing with a near-perfect 95% score from Rotten Tomatoes’ critics reviews and 97% from the film’s audience.

Among movies debuting so far in 2026, “Odyssey” landed in third place behind “Toy Story 5” ($159 million) and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" ($131 million).

For "Odyssey,” which was shot entirely with high-end IMAX cameras, 5% of ticket buyers age 25 and up were men, comprising nearly 60% of the entire audience, according to one report.

Universal spent a sizable $24.4 million in national TV advertising -- with 2,759 airings and 1.55 billion impressions -- according to estimates from iSpot.

It scored a 112 attention index, which means its TV creative performed 12% better than average.

Nolan's blockbuster film “Oppenheimer," which debuted in July 2023, had a domestic opening of $82.4 million.

Two returning movies that underperformed -- Walt Disney’s “Moana” ($19.0 million) and Universal’s “Minions & Monsters” ($14.8 million) -- came in at a distant second and third place, respectively.

For the first six months of 2026, movie studios spent a collective $419.4 million in national TV advertising -- down 14% from $485.8 million over the same period in 2025, according to estimates from iSpot.