Why Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey Blew Everyone Away At The Box Office

Everyone and their mother could see that "The Odyssey" was going to be a success on some level. Now that it's here, though, the resplendent triumph of Christopher Nolan's masterpiece is on full display — including the early box office numbers. Watch the video above to see why "The Odyssey" blew everyone away at the box office on opening weekend.

There were a lot of factors at play in bringing Nolan's "Odyssey" home, starting with warm-weather theater enthusiasm. Summer blockbuster excitement had pre-release ticket sales through the roof. Add in the higher cost for IMAX tickets, and "The Odyssey" was already going to be a top option thanks to its July release date — but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The movie itself is some of Nolan's best work: The iconic director has been building to this moment, and many early reviews have hailed it as his magnum opus (increasing the buzz further right before its release).

Let's not forget the wildly popular reputation of the source material itself. "The Odyssey" is one of the oldest, most enduring narratives known to humanity. Unlike a one-dimensional drama or superhero flick, Odysseus' story has something for all audiences. Action, adventure, horror, drama, deeper meaning — you name it. And we didn't even mention the raft of incredible performances from the movie's star-studded cast. Toss in the fact that Nolan was still riding high after the success of "Oppenheimer," and this one was simply too big to fail at the box office.

As a cinematic project, "The Odyssey" was set up for success on every level from the get-go. It is a great script, fantastically executed, and one way or another, audiences were almost pre-disposed to love it once they saw it. But the early critical reviews of the movie only added gasoline to the fire of anticipation in the days before release.

A couple of weeks before "The Odyssey" came out, early screenings of Nolan's newest movie-making marvel left critics stunned. The momentum only built from there. On the Wednesday before it came out, the movie had climbed to a staggering 98% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes (it stands at 96% at press time). The chorus of voices claiming "The Odyssey" had surpassed every expectation built to a fevered pitch just at the right moment.

It wasn't a flawless interpretation of the hallowed source material, but even if "The Odyssey" got some things wrong, the sheer breadth of expertise at every level of filmmaking set the movie up for success. For a more complete breakdown of the robust string of factors that made Nolan's adaptation of "The Odyssey" so good right out of the gate, make sure to watch Looper's video above.