Nolan’s “The Odyssey” Soars While Summer Blockbusters Struggle With Franchise Fatigue

Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has commanded the box office landscape this summer, earning $123 million domestically and surpassing $263 million globally during its opening weekend. The Universal Pictures adaptation of Homer’s epic marks Nolan’s strongest global debut, outperforming his “Dark Knight” trilogy and 2023’s “Oppenheimer.” Momentum continued throughout the week as the film accumulated more than $18 million on both Monday and Wednesday, with Tuesday earnings exceeding $21 million domestically, pushing its global total past $320 million in under seven days.

Major franchise releases have faltered significantly in contrast to “The Odyssey’s” success. Disney’s live-action “Moana,” starring Dwayne Johnson, opened to just $43 million domestically, substantially below the animated original’s $56 million 2016 debut and far short of 2024’s “Moana 2” opening of nearly $140 million. Industry reports suggest Disney faces potential losses of $100 million on the $250 million production, which has grossed only $186 million globally to date. Warner Bros.’ “Supergirl,” starring Milly Alcock, similarly disappointed with a $37 million domestic opening weekend and will likely fall short of $150 million worldwide, with the studio facing estimated $100 million losses compared to predecessor “Superman’s” $600 million global take.

Additional once-dominant franchises have underperformed throughout the summer. Universal Pictures and Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters” opened to $37 million domestically and has grossed approximately $366 million globally, marking the weakest “Despicable Me” installment despite its predecessor earning $75 million domestically and nearly $1 billion worldwide. Disney’s “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” a theatrical Star Wars installment, became the franchise’s worst-performing Disney film with $340 million worldwide, surpassing only 2018’s “Solo,” which earned $392 million.

Certain franchise films have bucked the trend. “Toy Story 5” opened to an exceptional $159 million domestically last month and approaches $1 billion worldwide, while “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” achieved a $131 million April opening and ultimately crossed $1 billion globally. Paramount’s “Scream 7” earned over $63 million during its February opening weekend and exceeded $200 million worldwide.

Original and adapted properties have flourished where franchises struggled. “Project Hail Mary,” Ryan Gosling’s space adventure dramedy adapted from Andy Weir’s novel, generated over $680 million for Amazon Studios, becoming the studio’s highest-grossing film. Lionsgate’s “Michael,” a Michael Jackson music biopic, surpassed $1 billion worldwide, outpacing all “Hunger Games” and “Twilight” releases. Low-budget horror films have also exceeded expectations, with Focus Features’ “Obsession” from content creator Curry Barker exceeding $400 million worldwide, and A24’s “Backrooms,” from 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons, achieving a $81 million debut and $360 million global gross.

Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios face mounting challenges with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” the fourth Tom Holland installment arriving next week. The film must overcome both franchise fatigue and broader superhero exhaustion following disappointing 2025 Marvel releases including “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts*,” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Its predecessor “Spider-Man: No Way Home” set an extraordinarily high bar with a $260 million domestic opening in 2021, leaving little margin for underperformance.