Universal’s The Odyssey opened in the U.K. and Ireland with the kind of weekend that made the rest of the chart look suddenly modest. The film took first place with £12.5 million, or $16.8 million, giving Christopher Nolan his second-biggest opening in the market and putting it comfortably ahead of Oppenheimer.

That is no small comparison, since Oppenheimer was hardly a quiet little release. But The Odyssey leaned hard into premium large formats, and audiences clearly decided that if Nolan was going big, they might as well go bigger.

How big was The Odyssey’s opening weekend?

The Odyssey delivered the biggest opening Friday of the year in the U.K. and Ireland. It also became Universal’s fifth-biggest opening Friday ever in the territory, a useful reminder that premium screens remain very good at turning anticipation into actual ticket sales.

The most striking result came from the BFI Imax in London, the U.K.’s largest screen. The venue recorded the highest three-day opening weekend in its history, earning $294,249 from that single site.

That total beat the previous all-time BFI Imax weekend record held by Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which made $289,682 in 2017. Oppenheimer now sits in third place at the venue with $277,936.

The London Imax has so far recorded more than 82,000 admissions for The Odyssey, generating $2.9 million in ticket sales. With a 94% occupancy rate and 173 consecutive sold-out showtimes, it has become the venue’s third highest-grossing title of all time. Apparently, finding a seat there has become less a booking process and more a competitive sport.

What else topped the U.K. and Ireland chart?

Disney took both second and third place over the weekend, though at a very different scale from Nolan’s new release.

Toy Story 5 landed at No. 2 in its fifth weekend, adding $2.2 million. Its five-week total now stands at $60.6 million, showing the franchise still has strong family pull even while a new blockbuster dominates the conversation.

Disney’s live-action Moana followed in third place. In its second weekend, the film brought in $2 million, lifting its running total to $7.4 million.

Universal also held fourth place with Minions & Monsters, which earned $1.5 million in its third week. That pushed its cumulative total to $12.5 million.

Studiocanal’s horror title Evil Dead Burn rounded out the top five, taking $406,258 in its second weekend for a running total of $2.2 million.

Which holdovers stayed in the top 10?

The bottom half of the chart was mostly holdovers trying to keep their footing while The Odyssey absorbed much of the attention.

  • Black Bear’s ensemble comedy-drama The Invite placed sixth in its third weekend, adding $318,749 for a total of $3.3 million.
  • Universal’s Obsession took seventh place in its 10th frame, earning $249,169 and bringing its total to $24.9 million.
  • Warner Bros.’ Supergirl landed eighth in its fourth weekend with $123,852, raising its cumulative haul to $7.4 million.
  • Universal’s Steven Spielberg sci-fi thriller Disclosure Day placed ninth in its sixth week, adding $91,904 for a total of $16.9 million.
  • Paramount’s Jackass: Best and Last finished 10th in its fourth week, bringing in $57,313 and lifting its total to $2.9 million.

The spread tells a familiar summer story: animated family films are still doing business, genre films are holding where they can, and a major premium-format release can quickly redraw the map.

What new films are opening next?

Next weekend brings a mix of family titles, repertory releases, documentaries, international cinema and specialty fare.

Miracle/IHeart Cinema will release the animated family film Chickenhare And The Secret Of The Groundhog on more than 300 screens. Park Circus is bringing Aardman’s Chicken Run back to more than 100 locations, giving one of the studio’s best-known animated films another theatrical run.

Curzon is rolling out a 4K restoration of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Nostalghia, while Trafalgar opens Sia: Nostalgic For The Present (Concert). Altitude is releasing Pinocchio Unstrung.

Verve Pictures launches Helen Walsh’s contemporary drama On The Sea, led by Barry Ward and Lorne Macfadyen. Picturehouse Entertainment is releasing Giuseppe Tornatore’s fashion designer documentary Brunello Cucinelli: The Gracious Visionary.

Mubi opens Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s Cannes-winning supernatural black comedy A Useful Ghost, and Dogwoof releases Ivy Meeropol’s documentary Ask E. Jean. Zee Studios International is opening The India Story, while Vue Lumière brings Animal Farm to select cinemas.