Spielberg's New Sci-Fi Epic Remains #1 Movie on Peacock

It has been suggested in the past that Christopher Nolan expects no friendly fire before and after the release of his movies. These details emerged when Nolan famously severed ties with Warner Bros. and signed a deal with Universal to release Oppenheimer. The partnership began with a bang, as Oppenheimer wildly exceeded box-office projections and earned the coveted Best Picture honor at the Oscars. It also won Nolan his first-ever Best Director Academy Award. Unsurprisingly, he stuck with Universal for the release of The Odyssey, which has emerged as his highest-grossing film, with nearly $1.8 billion worldwide. However, Universal released another summer tentpole directed by an A-lister just six weeks before The Odyssey. The movie in question didn't live up to expectations, and ultimately wasn't a factor when The Odyssey debuted in mid-July.

But it recently premiered on streaming, and has gotten off to an excellent start. The film was marketed as a major return to roots for Steven Spielberg, who had been struggling with back-to-back box-office underperformers in the last few years. This was meant to be his box-office comeback. Much of the marketing put Spielberg's name front-and-center, reminding audiences of his legendary status, particularly when it comes to the sci-fi genre. However, while the reviews were mostly positive, there was some concern surrounding an early influencer-driven publicity drive. In the end, the movie barely broke even at the box office, and will have to find its audience on streaming.