Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has made box office history, becoming the highest-grossing film in Universal Pictures’ 114-year history. The epic, starring Matt Damon, has earned $601.2 million in the United States and $1.083 billion internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $1.68 billion.
The film reached the milestone during its eighth weekend in theaters, when it reclaimed the top spot at the box office. Its strong performance over several weeks has helped it overtake Universal’s previous record holder and become the studio’s biggest movie ever.
The achievement also makes The Odyssey Nolan’s highest-grossing film, surpassing The Dark Knight Rises. The movie delivered the biggest opening of the director’s career and has continued to attract audiences well beyond its initial release period.
Produced by Nolan and Emma Thomas through their Syncopy banner, with Thomas Hayslip serving as executive producer, The Odyssey is another major result of Nolan’s partnership with Universal. The filmmaker moved to the studio in 2021, following a long relationship with Warner Bros.
NBCUniversal Entertainment chairman Donna Langley has described the movie as an ambitious generational event for cinema, and its commercial performance has now placed it among the studio’s biggest achievements.
Beyond Universal’s internal record, the film has broken several major box office milestones. It is now the highest-grossing R-rated film in history and the biggest release ever for IMAX. The IMAX achievement is particularly notable given Nolan’s long-standing use of the large-format technology and his focus on creating movies designed for theatrical viewing.
International audiences have played a major role in the film’s success. More than $1 billion of its worldwide earnings have come from outside the United States and Canada, making The Odyssey the first non-sequel film since 2009 to cross the $1 billion mark internationally.
The movie is based on the ancient Greek epic traditionally attributed to Homer, a story that dates back roughly 3,000 years. Nolan has transformed the source material into a large-scale Hollywood production featuring major stars and an emphasis on the theatrical experience.
Its performance is also significant at a time when cinemas continue to compete with streaming platforms for audiences. While viewers have more options for watching movies at home, The Odyssey has managed to draw audiences around the world in large numbers, particularly in premium formats such as IMAX.
The film’s success further strengthens Nolan’s relationship with Universal. His previous release for the studio, Oppenheimer, became a major commercial and awards success, and The Odyssey has now surpassed it and Nolan’s earlier films at the worldwide box office.
With its $1.68 billion global haul, The Odyssey has become a landmark release for both Nolan and Universal. It now holds the studio’s all-time box office record, Nolan’s personal box office record, the title of highest-grossing R-rated film and the record for the biggest IMAX release, making it one of the most commercially successful theatrical films of its kind.
