New Delhi, July 17 -- $15 million in preview screenings, the best opening-night figure for any live-action film released in North America this year, and the strongest Thursday showing Christopher Nolan has posted since The Dark Knight earned $18.5 million in a single night in 2008. The Odyssey, Universal Pictures' adaptation of Homer's 2,700-year-old epic starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, is tracking toward a $90 million to $100 million domestic opening weekend, which would rank as Nolan's largest debut since The Dark Knight Rises opened to $160 million in 2012, Deadline reported.

the audience that arrived was not confined to the premium-format faithful. Rotten Tomatoes audience score stood at 96 percent after the Thursday screenings, the...