Story perspectives

Odyssey’s IMAX-Only Shoot Nets $124 M Opening, Early Profit

7/20/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Odyssey became the first major studio film shot entirely with IMAX cameras and set IMAX’s strongest advance-ticket presales.
The film opened the weekend with $124.5 million domestic and $264.1 million worldwide box-office earnings.
IMAX formats contributed $51.8 million globally, $29.6 million in the U.S., and generated $50 million in advance ticket sales.
With a $250 million production budget and $125 million marketing spend, the opening weekend already exceeded production cost, indicating early profitability.

History

Historical Context

When James Cameron’s Avatar opened in December 2009, its extensive IMAX run set a record—178 U.S. theaters generated about $9.5 million and worldwide IMAX ticket sales reached $268.6 million, prompting 20th Century Fox to note a 15 percent box-office lift. The 2024 full-IMAX release of The Odyssey repeats that model, driving studios such as Warner Bros. and Disney to prioritize premium-ticket formats.

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Story summary

The Odyssey became the first major studio film shot entirely with IMAX cameras and set IMAX’s strongest advance-ticket presales.
The film opened the weekend with $124.5 million domestic and $264.1 million worldwide box-office earnings.
IMAX formats contributed $51.8 million globally, $29.6 million in the U.S., and generated $50 million in advance ticket sales.
With a $250 million production budget and $125 million marketing spend, the opening weekend already exceeded production cost, indicating early profitability.

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