'The Odyssey' smashes box-office with $51M opening day

As expected, Christopher Nolan's magnum opus, The Odyssey, hit a stunning box-office figure.

In the Greek epic starring Matt Damon, the period drama hauled in $51 million on opening day and is set to rake in $120 million on opening weekend.

According to Variety, the opening-day figure was drawn by 3,919 theatres.

Though The Odyssey was made on a massive budget of $250 million, the speed at which the gritty film is progressing will break even soon.

But making The Odyssey was such a tall task that Damon, who portrayed Odysseus, said it was his most challenging role yet.

Regarding the shooting of the gritty film, which spanned six countries, he told People, "It really felt more like an expedition than a movie."

But he credited Nolan with braving whatever conditions the movie's cast had endured.

"And if you were cold and wet, you just turned and you looked and Chris was just as cold and just as wet and going through it.”

Further, Damon recalled a scene at a tank at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, which ultimately proved grueling for the actor.

“Every location was really difficult, but in a really different way," he said.

The actor noted, “We knew we were ending at the water tank in Universal. And nobody said, ‘Well, it’ll probably be easier once we get to it.’”

The Odyssey is in theatres.