{"id":547324,"date":"2026-07-28T05:01:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T05:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/547324\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T05:01:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T05:01:15","slug":"the-odyssey-and-a-wave-of-hits-are-reviving-the-box-office-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/547324\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Odyssey\u2019 and a wave of hits are reviving the box office \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a second consecutive weekend, \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d topped the box office, demonstrating the rare staying power that allows a film to draw large audiences over multiple weekends. <\/p>\n

Over the weekend, \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d grossed $87 million<\/a> at the domestic box office, a stellar hold after its massive $123 million<\/a> opening. The film has now earned more than $639 million worldwide \u2014 putting it on track to surpass the $1 billion mark and further fueling this summer\u2019s box office comeback. <\/p>\n

If \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d does cross the $1 billion threshold, it will become the fourth film this year to gross $1 billion worldwide, following \u201cThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie,\u201d \u201cMichael\u201d and \u201cToy Story 5,\u201d which reached the milestone<\/a> over the weekend and now ranks as the year\u2019s highest-grossing film. <\/p>\n

If \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d continues its strong hold, it is likely to join the $1 billion club. Two of \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d director Christopher Nolan\u2019s films have crossed that threshold: \u201cThe Dark Knight\u201d and \u201cThe Dark Knight Rises.\u201d Several others, including \u201cOppenheimer,\u201d \u201cInception\u201d and \u201cInterstellar,\u201d have come close. <\/p>\n

Nolan\u2019s films have a tendency to draw casual moviegoers to theaters while bringing mega-fans back for repeat viewings. <\/p>\n

\"\"This image released by Universal Pictures shows director Christopher Nolan, center, with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema on set of “The Odyssey.” | Melinda Sue Gordon, Universal Pictures via AP <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s likely to be one of the two films that casual fans see on average this year,\u201d box-office analyst David Gross said in his newsletter FranchiseRe<\/a>. \u201cThere are a lot of these casual moviegoers \u2014 they are the majority of ticket-buyers \u2014 and when they get interested, they can elevate a movie from a hit to a smash.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThe film has become an event, and it\u2019s going to have a very long run now,\u201d Gross added, referencing the frenzy among moviegoers to snag one of the limited IMAX screenings, as \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d is the first Hollywood blockbuster ever shot entirely on IMAX film cameras. <\/p>\n

IMAX screenings have contributed a whopping $140 million to the film\u2019s global box office haul so far. The film is also the second-fastest in IMAX history to surpass $100 million in ticket sales, trailing only the box office titan \u201cAvengers: Endgame.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChris (Nolan) has crafted the type of masterwork that draws our biggest fans back to experience it two or three times \u2014 while introducing entirely new fans to IMAX,\u201d IMAX\u2019s CEO Richard Gelfond told Variety<\/a>. \u201cWe are only beginning to see the impact that will have on our brand and business.\u201d<\/p>\n

A glimpse at the box office comeback \"\"This image released by Universal Pictures shows Matt Damon as Odysseus, left, and Zendaya as Athena, in a scene from “The Odyssey.” | Melinda Sue Gordon, Universal Pictures via AP <\/p>\n

Hollywood and movie theaters alike are enjoying their strongest summer in seven years<\/a>, putting the industry on track to generate $10 billion<\/a> in ticket sales for the first time since the pandemic. <\/p>\n

Fueling the box office resurgence has been a combination of reliable blockbuster franchises, such as Pixar\u2019s \u201cToy Story 5\u2033 and Universal\u2019s \u201cThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie\u201d \u2014 the year\u2019s top earners so far \u2014 as well as a handful of low budget breakout hits, like \u201cObsession<\/a>\u201d and \u201cBackrooms,\u201d which drew an unusually strong turnout among young audiences. <\/p>\n

\u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d jolted<\/a> the box office awake in March, followed by a mega-opening<\/a> from \u201cThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie\u201d and then \u201cMichael,\u201d the sweeping biopic chronicling Michael Jackson\u2019s early life, which earned over $1 billion worldwide and secured the title as highest-grossing biopic of all time. <\/p>\n

Despite a pair of box office disappointments \u2014 \u201cSupergirl\u201d and \u201cMoana<\/a>\u201d both underperformed \u2014 the summer\u2019s momentum has been sustained by a range of hits, including \u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d \u201cToy Story 5,\u2033 \u201cDisclosure Day\u201d and \u201cMinions & Monsters.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we needed to happen has finally happened,\u201d Michael Kustermann, CEO of the popular dine-in cinema chain Alamo Drafthouse, told Variety. \u201cThere\u2019s not just a good pipeline of content, but a diverse balance within the slate. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve been missing.\u201d<\/p>\n

That momentum shows no signs of slowing down. Marvel\u2019s \u201cSpider-Man: Brand New Day,\u201d which premieres this weekend, is projected<\/a> to earn anywhere from $180 million to $190 million domestically in its opening weekend. <\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Spider-Man: Brand New Day\u2019 could be the biggest opening weekend of the year,\u201d Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at movie data company Rentrak, told CNBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cAnd that opens on July 31st. What\u2019s that going to mean for August? Well, a lot, because that\u2019s going to add and contribute a lot of box office to the month. Then that sets up a fall and a holiday period (where) I think we\u2019re not going to see really that much of a slowdown.\u201d<\/p>\n

After several strong performances this summer, the box office\u2019s resurgence is expected to carry through the year, with several major releases still on the horizon. <\/p>\n

A slate of blockbusters landing this fall and early winter \u2014 including \u201cPractical Magic 2,\u201d \u201cHunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,\u201d \u201cAvengers: Doomsday\u201d and \u201cDune 3\u2033\u2014 is poised to keep audiences returning to theaters in the months ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe summer box office is incredibly important,\u201d Dergarabedian said. \u201cIt\u2019s vitally important in terms of what the overall health of the industry looks like and what that portends for the entire year.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For a second consecutive weekend, \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d topped the box office, demonstrating the rare staying power that allows…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":547325,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-547324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/547325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}