Updated
Updated · Variety · Jul 21
Universal's The Odyssey Opens to £12.5 Million in U.K.-Ireland, Breaking BFI Imax Records
Updated
Updated · Variety · Jul 21

Universal's The Odyssey Opens to £12.5 Million in U.K.-Ireland, Breaking BFI Imax Records

3 articles · Updated · Variety · Jul 21

Summary

  • £12.5 million gave Universal’s “The Odyssey” the No. 1 U.K.-Ireland debut, marking Christopher Nolan’s second-biggest opening there and finishing well ahead of “Oppenheimer.”
  • Premium large formats drove the launch, delivering the year’s biggest opening Friday and Universal’s fifth-biggest opening Friday ever in the market.
  • BFI Imax set a new three-day weekend record at $294,249, topping “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” from 2017, while the London venue has already sold more than 82,000 tickets for $2.9 million at 94% occupancy.
  • The film reshuffled the wider chart, with “Toy Story 5” taking second on $2.2 million and “Moana” third on $2 million as Universal also placed “Minions & Monsters” fourth.
  • Next weekend’s lineup is far smaller, led by “Chickenhare And The Secret Of The Groundhog” on more than 300 screens and a “Chicken Run” re-release in over 100 locations.

Insights

Is Nolan's analog success a true cinema revival or an exclusive, high-cost fad?
Why are global audiences flocking to theaters for an ancient epic on analog film?