Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey arrives in China on 20,000 screens amid Spider-Man Brand New Day's box-office surge
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey arrives in China on 20,000 screens amid Spider-Man Brand New Day's box-office surge")
The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day's releases in China Photograph: (X)
The Odyssey has opened across 20,000 screens in China, giving the film a major theatrical push amid a surge in box office figures for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Read more to know.
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey continues to make waves globally, with the film still grabbing headlines nearly a month after its release in cinemas. It has reached another major milestone, this time in China, which has opened across roughly around 20,000 screens in China, giving the film a major theatrical push after an already impressive global run. Reportedly, at the same time, Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues to climb, turning the two Hollywood blockbusters into notable stories in China's summer box office.
The Odyssey makes a major China entry
The Odyssey opened in cinemas across mainland China, with reportedly some 90% of the territory’s Imax footprint of nearly 800 sites, distributor data shows. As per ticketing agency Maoyan, the presale box office of the Universal title reached RMB39.5 million ($5.9 million) as of August 12 (Beijing time), with combined preview and presale grosses hitting RMB91 million ($13.5 million) ahead of the film’s August 14 wide release.
Also Read: The Odyssey Hits $1 Billion in Just Three Weeks | Christopher Nolan Film Surpasses The Dark Knight
The IMAX allocation will hold even as Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues its successful run in Chinese theatres, with no reduction planned to The Odyssey’s screen count, IMAX has reportedly confirmed.
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The film has reportedly collected $36.6 million during its opening weekend in China following its wide release on August 14, 2026. This debut included record-breaking preview and presale numbers, fuelled by a massive rollout across more than 20,000 screens and nearly 800 IMAX locations in the territory.
Spider-Man: Brand New's entry in China
Spider-Man: Brand New Day was released in mainland China on July 29, 2026, premiering two days ahead of its North American release. It pulled in RMB463.5 million ($68.1 million over its three-day opening frame, according to Artisan Gateway). Reportedly, it has grossed $121.3 million in the Middle Kingdom in its first five days of release. $19 million of this came from IMAX, which makes it the highest-grossing Imax opening weekend in the Spider-Man franchise for China.
The Odyssey's team visit to China
Christopher Nolan made a visit to China for his epic film. The Odyssey featured a high-profile Beijing premiere at the China National Film Museum alongside stars Matt Damon and Charlize Theron and producer Emma Thomas, followed by a massive theatrical rollout on August 14, 2026, across more than 20,000 screens.
The filmmaker participated in an in-depth viral discussion with philosophy lecturer Zhong Shu on the Bilibili platform, exploring the film's philosophical themes.
All about The Odyssey
The Odyssey released in cinemas globally on July 17. Helmed by Christopher Nolan, it is based on Homer's ancient Greek poem. It tells the story of King Odysseus, who spends ten grueling years trying to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War while facing gods, monsters, and political turmoil.
The film stars Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland and Zendaya, among others. It made history as the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX film. The Odyssey reportedly crossed $1 billion globally in just three weeks.
