More than a month after its theatrical debut, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has surged past a worldwide box office gross of $1.352 billion.
Hollywood box office history has rewritten itself once again. Yet Christopher Nolan’s sprawling adaptation of Homer’s ancient epic has dismantled that barrier entirely.
Shattering the R-Rated Box Office Record
Driven by enthusiastic turnout, The Odyssey reached a global box office haul of $1.352 billion. That figure pushes it past the $1.338 billion grossed by 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which previously held the record as the top-grossing R-rated movie ever made, not adjusted for inflation.
Prior to Deadpool & Wolverine, the record for biggest R-rated movie ever was held by DC’s Joker, which grossed $1 billion worldwide in 2019. Joker, Deadpool & Wolverine and The Odyssey are the only three R-rated movies ever to gross $1 billion globally. Nolan’s own Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, his previous movie before The Odyssey, is also among his celebrated works. Led by an all-star cast, including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, this movie depicts the events of Homer’s epic poem.
Taking to X on Aug. 19 to celebrate, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds congratulated the entire cast and crew of The Odyssey on breaking the record and shared a cheeky mash-up clip that placed Odysseus into a scene from Deadpool & Wolverine.
Christopher Nolan also broke his own record with The Odyssey as it now ranks as Nolan’s biggest movie of all time, surpassing The Dark Knight Rises, as well as passing the $534.9 million from The Dark Knight — a previous high-water mark for Nolan — not accounting for inflation.
Domestic Holding Power and International Fuel
During its sixth weekend in release, The Odyssey added $19.5 million in North American theaters, where it continues to play in over 3,000 locations, bringing its domestic total to just under $539.1 million. Internationally, it added $68 million, driven largely by China and Korea, which brings its worldwide total to $1.4 billion.
Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan achieved a new personal record as The Odyssey became his highest-grossing title to date across both domestic and global markets. On the annual chart, The Odyssey sits just behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which brought in another $39 million across 4,006 screens in the U.S. and Canada, based on studio figures released Sunday. Having accumulated more than $854.9 million in North America, Spider-Man is poised to leapfrog Avengers: Endgame to secure second place among the all-time highest-earning domestic releases, behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.7 million).
A Monumental Summer Season for Hollywood
Sony secured the runner-up position for the weekend with Insidious: Out of the Further. Produced by Blumhouse Atomic Monster, the sixth entry in the horror series collected $25.3 million from 3,303 domestic venues, alongside $35 million overseas. Carrying an $18 million production cost, it marks the most expensive installment in the franchise so far.
Third spot went to The Odyssey, which earlier this week became the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time, surpassing Deadpool & Wolverine.
The summer season, which runs through Labor Day, has now generated an estimated $4.4 billion in ticket sales in North America, putting it among the top four highest grossing summers ever. As part of a massive release slate this summer, Christopher Nolan delivered the biggest project of his career, The Odyssey.
What Lies Ahead for the Director
Spider-Man: Brand New Day held onto the top spot at the box office during its fourth weekend in cinemas, fending off competition from a fresh wave of releases that included an action feature starring Jason Statham, a comedy, a family film, and a horror sequel. Christopher Nolan’s highest-grossing movie has now taken the place of the highest-grossing R-rated film, a place which was previously earned by Deadpool & Wolverine, released in 2024.
