Three years after Oppenheimer (2023), Christopher Nolan once again inspires glowing reviews for his work and once again commands the box office with authority. A leadership that manifested strongly during its first weekend in theaters – it grossed US$ 264.1 million worldwide, the third best debut of the year – and also had repercussions in Chile.
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According to data shared by its local distributor with Culto, the film gathered nearly 210 thousand viewers during its first seven days in cinemas, positioning it among the highest-grossing releases of the year (to put it in perspective, in the same period Michael achieved 272 thousand and Super Mario Galaxy: The Movie reached 404 thousand).
The figure has not only allowed for positive results because it is a solid number in itself, but because it overcame an adverse scenario. On the one hand, the bad weather front that affected various regions and reached its most critical day on Friday, July 17, that is, one day after its local release. Under those conditions, many titles would have faltered, but that was not the case for Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s tale.
“The behavior was very similar (to Oppenheimer), but the result of The Odyssey has even more merit due to the context in which it was achieved. In its first week, it was practically on par with Oppenheimer, only a 10% difference, despite the frontal system temporarily keeping about 20% of the country’s cinema capacity out of operation,” details Francisco Lyon, Marketing Manager of Universal Pictures in Chile, to Culto.
The executive mentions a second point: the 2026 World Cup final in which Spain and Argentina faced each other. According to the information he handles, that sporting milestone “caused a drop of close to 40% in attendance for the entire industry on Sunday.”
“More than explaining a difference, these factors allow us to gauge the strength of the result. Even with a significant part of the market affected and one of the most relevant days of the week heavily impacted, The Odyssey maintained an extraordinary response. The result confirms the enormous interest the film generated and shows that, under normal conditions, its potential could be even greater,” he explains.
The Odyssey is the first fiction feature film shot entirely with IMAX cameras, the format Nolan has increasingly embraced since The Dark Knight (2008). An achievement that materialized after the filmmaker and the company devised a system to neutralize the noise produced by these cameras, especially detrimental to more intimate scenes.
Audiences have reacted with fervor worldwide, allowing the film to consolidate as the best premiere in that format in many markets. According to its distributor in Chile, during its first week, 16,442 attendees saw it in IMAX theaters, the second best mark in history. The only production that surpasses it is Interstellar (2014), which was re-released in early 2025 and unleashed a phenomenon among the local public.
“If we consider only original releases, it is the biggest IMAX debut recorded in the country,” points out Francisco Lyon, who maintains that “with each new title, Nolan has strengthened that relationship with the public and has made the IMAX experience a fundamental part of his signature as a director.”
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This draw has created a “problem” for the public: word has spread about the benefits of this format – which has better sound and image than any other – and it is practically impossible to find tickets for these screenings from one day to the next. At Cinépolis, which has one of the two such theaters in the country (Mallplaza Egaña), they opted to put tickets on sale until August 12, that is, for three more weeks.
“It’s the first time they’ve opened so far in advance,” says Giovanna Escuti, Programming Manager for Cinépolis Chile. “It was similar with Oppenheimer, where from the start of the presale, the first two weeks were enabled, and subsequent weeks were enabled in advance, but this is the first time that from the opening week, it’s already enabled up to the fourth week, and it’s something that has been replicated in almost all IMAX theaters worldwide.”
The other multiplex with these characteristics nationwide is Cinemark Mallplaza Vespucio, which incorporated this technology in 2022 and has tickets on sale until Sunday, August 2.
A clarification is in order: none of these complexes feature 70 mm IMAX projection and a 1.43:1 aspect ratio. In fact, it is only available in about 40 cinemas worldwide (mainly in the United States).
The Odyssey will be the only film in that format at least until August 12, when Oak Street’s End, starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, premieres, and eventually both titles could coexist for a few weeks.
For those wondering if any late-night screenings could be added, as is happening in other parts of the world, the outlook does not look promising.
“In pre-pandemic years, it would have been an almost guaranteed option, but nowadays, due to internal operational issues, mall regulations, and also habits, it is not being considered. Unless there was a very high public demand or almost a campaign from a very large group vehemently demanding it to be evaluated. In principle, we will continue monitoring seat availability and enabling screenings as long as IMAX programming allows,” says Escuti, who also rules out that Cinépolis currently plans to open a new theater with that technology in Chile.
The solution is to have some patience or simply watch it in a different format.
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