Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
A new movie called 'The Odyssey' opened in theaters. It was made by director Christopher Nolan. The main actor is Matt Damon.
The movie made a lot of money on its first weekend. It made $120.5 million in the United States. It made $257.8 million around the whole world.
This is the biggest opening weekend ever for a Christopher Nolan movie around the world. It is also the biggest opening ever for Matt Damon.
People who watched the movie liked it a lot. It got a score of 96 out of 100 from viewers. That is the best score any Nolan movie has ever gotten.
- director
- the person who controls how a movie is made
- opening weekend
- the first few days a movie plays in theaters
- domestically
- within one's own country
- worldwide
- in all parts of the world
- epic
- a movie or story that is very long and grand in scale
- score
- a rating given to something, like a movie
- viewer
- a person who watches something, like a movie
- record
- the best result ever achieved
Level 2 — Elementary
Christopher Nolan's epic film 'The Odyssey,' starring Matt Damon, opened to a massive $120.5 million at the domestic box office, making it Damon's biggest opening weekend ever as a leading actor.
The domestic number ranks as the third-highest opening of Nolan's career, trailing only 'The Dark Knight,' which opened to $158.4 million in 2008, and 'The Dark Knight Rises,' which opened to $160.8 million in 2012. It also stands as the top R-rated opening of the year and Universal Pictures' biggest weekend launch ever for an R-rated film.
Globally, 'The Odyssey' pulled in $257.8 million, including $137.3 million from 73 international markets, making it the highest-grossing opening weekend of any Nolan film worldwide, surpassing even his previous blockbusters.
The film has also earned strong reviews, with a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the best of any Nolan movie to date. Nolan has said it will be 'at least' three years before audiences see his next project.
- domestic box office
- money a film earns from ticket sales within its home country
- leading actor
- the main performer in a film
- trail
- to be behind or lower than something else
- R-rated
- a film rating meaning it is restricted to mature audiences
- blockbuster
- a very successful and popular movie
- international market
- a country or region outside the film's home country where it is released
- audience score
- a rating given by regular moviegoers rather than critics
- project
- a planned piece of work, such as a film
Level 3 — Intermediate
Christopher Nolan's sprawling adaptation 'The Odyssey,' led by Matt Damon, opened to a commanding $120.5 million domestically, the largest opening weekend of Damon's career as a leading man and a result that immediately established the film among the year's biggest box office events.
The domestic figure trails only two entries in Nolan's filmography, 'The Dark Knight' ($158.4 million in 2008) and 'The Dark Knight Rises' ($160.8 million in 2012), making 'The Odyssey' the director's third-best domestic debut. It also claims the distinction of the year's top R-rated opening and Universal Pictures' strongest-ever weekend launch for a film carrying that rating.
Internationally, the picture generated $137.3 million across 73 markets, pushing its worldwide opening to $257.8 million, a figure that outpaces every previous Nolan release and marks the biggest global debut of his career, a notable milestone given that several of his earlier films, including the two Dark Knight sequels, drew more heavily on North American audiences relative to overseas ones.
Critical and audience reception has matched the commercial numbers: the film holds a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, surpassing every prior Nolan release. The director has indicated that fans will wait 'at least' three years before his next feature arrives, suggesting 'The Odyssey' will anchor his output for the foreseeable future.
- sprawling
- extending over a large area or scope; here, describing an ambitious, large-scale film
- filmography
- the complete list of films made by a particular director or actor
- distinction
- a notable achievement or honor
- generate
- to produce or create, often used for revenue
- outpace
- to move faster or achieve more than something else
- milestone
- a significant point or event in the development of something
- commercial
- relating to the buying and selling of goods, or here, box office performance
- anchor
- to serve as the central or most important element
Level 4 — Advanced
Christopher Nolan's sprawling, R-rated adaptation 'The Odyssey,' anchored by a career-defining performance from Matt Damon, debuted to a commanding $120.5 million domestically, the largest opening of Damon's career as a leading man and a result that instantly positioned the film among the year's defining box office events.
The domestic figure trails only two entries in Nolan's filmography, 'The Dark Knight' ($158.4 million in 2008) and its 2012 successor 'The Dark Knight Rises' ($160.8 million), rendering 'The Odyssey' the director's third-strongest domestic debut while simultaneously claiming the year's top R-rated opening and Universal Pictures' most robust weekend launch ever for a film of that classification.
Internationally, the picture amassed $137.3 million across 73 territories, propelling its cumulative worldwide opening to $257.8 million, a sum that eclipses every prior Nolan release and constitutes the largest global debut of his career, a distinction rendered more striking given that several of his signature works, the Dark Knight sequels chief among them, skewed disproportionately toward North American audiences relative to overseas receipts.
Reception has tracked the commercial trajectory: the film commands a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, eclipsing every previous Nolan release. The director has signaled that audiences will wait 'at least' three years for his next feature, an interval suggesting 'The Odyssey' will occupy an outsized place in his output for the foreseeable future.
- career-defining
- describing an achievement or performance that becomes central to how a person's career is remembered
- classification
- a category into which something is placed, such as a film rating
- amass
- to gather or accumulate over time
- cumulative
- increasing or growing by successive additions
- eclipse
- to surpass or outshine something previously dominant
- disproportionately
- in a way that is too large or too small in relation to something else
- receipts
- the total amount of money taken in from ticket sales or business
- outsized
- unusually large in size or importance
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