Coverage spread: 2 sources — 2 center
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IMAX has extended 70mm screenings of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” from an original end date of Aug. 19 to Sept. 16, according to listings on IMAX’s website, after weeks of sold-out showings in the premium large-format that only 25 theaters in the United States are equipped to project. AMC’s app reportedly placed customers in a digital queue on a recent Thursday afternoon as new tickets for the extended run went on sale. The extension comes as “The Odyssey” has become a genuine cultural event: tickets for its earliest showings went on sale a full year before its July 17 release, and once it opened, demand was so intense that some IMAX 70mm theaters added 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. screenings to accommodate audiences.
The Numbers Behind the Phenomenon
“The Odyssey” pulled in roughly $700 million globally within just 12 days of release, per Forbes, and Fortune’s box-office analysis adds more granular detail: after an opening weekend of $264.1 million — Nolan’s biggest global debut ever — the film’s second-weekend drop was unusually small, initially estimated around 30% (about $87 million) before final numbers softened the decline to about 27% (roughly $90 million). Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak, told Fortune this kind of staying power (“legs”) puts the film in the same company as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “The Passion of the Christ” in terms of holding audiences deep into its run, rather than the 50%-plus drop typical of major tentpoles. He projected the film would be pushing toward $800 million globally by the following weekend and predicted studios “are not gonna let that thing leave theaters until it hits $1 billion.” Nolan would still need to top “Oppenheimer” ($975 million), “The Dark Knight” ($1 billion), and “The Dark Knight Rises” ($1.08 billion) to claim the title of his highest-grossing film ever.
Why the Format Matters
Forbes emphasizes that “The Odyssey” is notable as the first movie ever shot entirely in IMAX, meaning it retains a large, screen-filling aspect ratio throughout rather than switching between formats as prior IMAX films have done. Nolan, a longtime advocate for the format, saw similar success extending 70mm runs of “Oppenheimer” twice in 2024, a film that went on to a strong Oscars campaign — a trajectory Forbes suggests “The Odyssey” may also follow. Fortune’s Dergarabedian offered a vivid anecdote from opening weekend: at a packed 70mm showing at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, a title card from director Denis Villeneuve thanked Nolan for allowing the audience to see four minutes of exclusive footage from the upcoming “Dune: Part Three,” and the crowd’s reaction reportedly left a lasting impression on him. He described the overall run as a “memory moment” driven by word-of-mouth and a fear of missing out among moviegoers, comparing the pull of a hit movie today to how appointment television once functioned.
Spider-Man Enters the Picture
Forbes also covers “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which began preview showings ahead of its full July 31 release. The film picks up four years after “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” with Peter Parker living in isolation after having Doctor Strange erase the world’s memory of his identity. Forbes’ review-adjacent coverage notes mixed reactions to the film’s post-credits scene among early reviewers and international audiences, describing it as not a “must-see” stinger, though it depicts Ned Leeds’ Spider-Tracker glitching after apparently losing Peter’s location on Earth — a possible tease for either “Avengers: Doomsday” (Dec. 18) or “Avengers: Secret Wars.” The outlet notes new cast additions including Sadie Sink, Tramell Tillman, and Michael Mando. Fortune ties this release directly into the broader box-office narrative, reporting industry tracking estimates of $200–250 million domestically for its opening, which Dergarabedian frames as continuing what he calls the best summer for theaters since the pandemic.
How the Coverage Compares
Forbes’ two pieces focus narrowly on concrete, service-oriented details: the exact extension dates for IMAX screenings, ticket-queue mechanics, box-office figures, and plot/post-credits specifics for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” Fortune takes a wider industry-trend angle, using Dergarabedian’s insider commentary and anecdotes to argue that 2026’s summer box office reflects a broader “memory moment” phenomenon spanning both films, with less attention to plot details and more to comparative box-office analytics like weekend-over-weekend drop percentages. Both sources agree on the core facts — Nolan’s record opening, the film’s approach toward $700–800 million globally, and Spider-Man’s anticipated blockbuster debut — but Forbes treats the two films as separate stories while Fortune links them as complementary drivers of an unusually strong theatrical season. Neither source offers exact final domestic figures for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” since that data was not yet available in the reporting window covered.
Why It Matters
The extended IMAX run and record-setting numbers reflect a rare alignment of director-driven marketing (Nolan’s insistence on premium formats), technological novelty (an all-IMAX shoot), and old-fashioned word-of-mouth in an era when theatrical attendance has struggled to fully recover post-pandemic. Analysts like Dergarabedian frame this summer, bridging “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” as evidence that big-format, event-driven moviegoing can still generate sustained box-office momentum rather than quick front-loaded drops.
Sources
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