We've known and appreciated Jon Bernthal for nearly two decades because of his legendary performance as Shane Walsh on AMC's The Walking Dead. Although the character only stuck around for two seasons, Bernthal's complex performance as the character helped catapult him to superstardom, which eventually saw him land his signature role as The Punisher in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While Frank Castle will be making a comeback to the MCU this summer, Bernthal is already tearing up the box office as his most recent movie is already breaking all kinds of box office records. And believe us when we say that it won't be stopping there.
The Odyssey scores second-best weekend for an R-rated movie at the box office
Christopher Nolan's massive star-studded spectacle The Odyssey has enjoyed another history-making weekend at the box office, scoring $87 million in its second weekend domestically. That's a relatively small decline of just 30% - unheard of for a blockbuster in today's day and age - and has allowed the film to become Nolan's best second-weekend performer, surpassing The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Furthermore, it managed to outperform the entire domestic opening weekend of Nolan's 2023 epic Oppenheimer.
That's not all, however, as The Odyssey also managed the second-best second weekend for an R-Rated movie in US history, coming in just behind Deadpool and Wolverine's $96 million second weekend in 2024. That is also huge considering how hard it is for R-rated films to generate the wider audience buzz that the likes of typical blockbusters would.
To put that in perspective, here is the list of all-time best second-weekends for R-rated films at the domestic box office to give you an idea of where The Odyssey ranks among them:
- Deadpool and Wolverine (2024) - $96 million
- The Odyssey (2026) - $87 million
- American Sniper (2015) - $64 million
- IT (2017) - $60.1 million
- Joker (2019) - $55 million
- Deadpool (2016) - $55 million
- The Passion of the Christ (2004) - $53.2 million
- Oppenheimer (2023) - $46.2 million
Pretty record-setting, am I right?! Especially as The Odyssey has made itself at home above a heap of franchise films in that list, specifically Joker and IT, which broke both domestic and global records for R-rated films. Needless to say, the film has made an impact - once again highlighting the impact of Christopher Nolan.
Jon Bernthal is part of the film's massive cast, starring as Menelaus - the king of Sparta and Helen's husband. Starring alongside him are Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, John Leguizamo, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Elliot Page, and Benny Safdie. It's safe to say that Nolan brings out the stars for his movies, and that's very much clear here.
Ironically, this isn't the only massive movie that Bernthal will star in alongside Tom Holland and Zendaya. The trio are returning to the big screen next week to headline Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios collaboration brings Holland's titular superhero back for a fourth solo installment while Zendaya returns as Michelle Jones Watson as well. Bernthal reprises his MCU role as Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher, marking the first time that the character - known for appearing in TV-MA shows such as Daredevil, Daredevil: Born Again and The Punisher - will appear in an MCU movie.
That film is also tracking to make box office history, with a wolrdwide debut of around $700 million expected for its opening weekend. And that only reiterates what a generational summer Jon Bernthal is having - as Spider-Man comes after both The Odyssey and the critically-acclaimed Disney Plus Special Presentation The Punisher: One Last Kill.
Jon Bernthal has been a regular presence on both the big and small screens since his role on The Walking Dead showed us all what he was capable of. As longtime fans of his - and the TWD franchise - it's been wonderful to see him experience this major success in his career.
Interestingly, he isn't the only TWD Universe star to appear in The Odyssey as he is joined by Samantha Morton (Alpha), Ryan Hurst (Beta), and Corey Hawkins (Heath), What a way to celebrate the franchise!
The Odyssey is now playing in theaters.
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