Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has launched with $17.6 million from Thursday preview screenings at the domestic box office.

The result gives the Universal Pictures and Syncopy epic the biggest North American preview performance of 2026 so far.

The Odyssey surpassed the year’s previous preview leaders and also opened well above the $10.5 million earned by Nolan’s Oppenheimer during its Thursday previews in 2023.

Current projections have the film on course for a domestic opening weekend above $100 million, which would make it one of Nolan’s largest non-Batman launches.

Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, the legendary king of Ithaca attempting to return home after the Trojan War. The ensemble also includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron and Jon Bernthal.

The Odyssey was filmed entirely with IMAX cameras and opened across 3,919 North American theaters, alongside a launch in 73 international markets.

The film is now playing in theaters.