AMC Theatres attracted more than 4.3 million moviegoers worldwide during the opening weekend of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, marking the biggest opening for an R-rated film across the chain’s U.S. circuit since 2024. The film, which opened July 17, 2026, drove exceptional demand across AMC’s premium formats, including IMAX at AMC, Dolby Cinema at AMC, and PRIME at AMC locations.
Demand was so intense that six flagship AMC locations—including Lincoln Square 13 in New York, Metreon 16 in San Francisco, and four Los Angeles-area theaters—operated continuously throughout the opening weekend, running showtimes for more than 85 consecutive hours to meet audience demand. The film earned approximately $124 million domestically and $264 million globally, making it the second film in five weeks to open above $100 million domestically.
The Odyssey’s performance marks a significant milestone for the theatrical exhibition industry, which has been recovering from pandemic-related declines. Christopher Nolan’s epic received strong critical and audience reception, with a 95% critics score and 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, and Lupita Nyong’o, with appearances by Zendaya and Charlize Theron.
While The Odyssey delivers the strongest R-rated opening for AMC specifically since 2024, the film ranks fourth all-time for R-rated domestic openings. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) holds the record with a $211.4 million domestic opening weekend, followed by the original Deadpool ($132.4 million) and Deadpool 2 ($125.5 million). The Odyssey’s performance underscores the appeal of event cinema and premium formats; moviegoers turned out across AMC’s full range of presentation options, from traditional auditoriums to large-format screens.
AMC’s strong attendance during the opening weekend came as the company reported record quarterly results. AMC announced Q2 2026 revenue of $1.6 billion, up 14.2% year-over-year and the highest quarterly revenue in the company’s 106-year history. The quarter also saw adjusted EBITDA surge 70% to $321.4 million. AMC attributed the performance partly to strong IMAX ticket sales following The Odyssey’s opening, which drove the chain’s most successful IMAX run in its history through the first two weekends of a film’s release.
Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC Entertainment, said in the press release: “For the past several days, THE ODYSSEY has been at the center of the pop culture conversation across both the United States and Europe, once again demonstrating how deeply movie theatres are woven into the fabric of society.” The company also highlighted record Q2 earnings as evidence that the theatrical exhibition industry is experiencing a sustained recovery, with eight films opening above $75 million domestically since late March 2026.
Sources
- Business Wire — AMC press release on 4.3 million attendance, The Odyssey’s R-rated record for AMC’s U.S. circuit, domestic opening of $124 million, and six locations operating 85+ consecutive hours
- Deadline — The Odyssey’s global opening of $264 million and box office context
- Box Office Mojo — Deadpool & Wolverine’s $211.4 million domestic opening as the all-time R-rated record
- Quartz, Yahoo Finance, MarketBeat — AMC Q2 2026 revenue of $1.6 billion (up 14.2% YoY), adjusted EBITDA of $321.4 million (up 70% YoY), both all-time records for the company
- Rotten Tomatoes — The Odyssey critical and audience scores (95% critics, 97% audience)
