The Odyssey box office has reached about $1.35 billion worldwide, moving Christopher Nolan’s epic past Deadpool & Wolverine to become the highest-grossing R-rated film globally. The August 20 milestone adds another record to a theatrical run shaped by strong international ticket sales, premium-format demand and sustained audience turnout.

Key Takeaways

• The Odyssey reached approximately $1.35 billion worldwide by August 20, 2026.
• The film passed Deadpool & Wolverine, which earned about $1.338 billion globally in 2024.
• The milestone makes The Odyssey the highest-grossing R-rated film worldwide before adjusting historical grosses for inflation.
• IMAX reported $289 million from the film by August 10, making it the format’s highest-grossing release at that point.
• Christopher Nolan’s film opened in U.S. theaters on July 17 and remains in theatrical release.

The Odyssey Box Office Moves Past Deadpool & Wolverine

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has overtaken Deadpool & Wolverine at the worldwide box office after roughly five weeks in theaters. Current reporting places the film at approximately $1.352 billion globally, narrowly above the Marvel release’s roughly $1.338 billion lifetime total.

That comparison gives the record a clear benchmark. Deadpool & Wolverine became the highest-grossing R-rated release in 2024 after passing Joker, which had held the distinction since 2019. The Odyssey has now moved to the top of that worldwide ranking while its theatrical run continues.

The result follows a strong opening for the Universal Pictures release. The Odyssey began its domestic run on July 17 with approximately $123.5 million in North America. Its worldwide opening reached about $264 million, establishing an early base for the totals that followed.

The film adapts Homer’s ancient Greek epic and stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca attempting to return home after the Trojan War. Tom Holland plays Telemachus, while Anne Hathaway appears as Penelope. Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron are also among the ensemble.

Public interest was visible before the theatrical release. The early reactions to The Odyssey centered on its large-format presentation, ensemble performances and Nolan’s approach to adapting the ancient story for the screen.

The new box-office distinction is based on worldwide theatrical revenue for films carrying an R rating. It does not represent an inflation-adjusted comparison across cinema history, a distinction that is important when describing an all-time financial record. The current record instead reflects reported nominal ticket revenue.

IMAX Demand Adds a Second Record

The Odyssey box office performance has also been closely connected to its large-format release. IMAX announced on August 10 that the film had generated $289 million worldwide through its screens in less than a month, making it the highest-grossing IMAX release in the company’s history at that point.

The company said IMAX screenings accounted for more than 26% of the movie’s worldwide box office through that weekend. During its fourth frame alone, the film added approximately $37 million from IMAX locations globally.

The premium-format results are particularly relevant to the film because of the production itself. IMAX says The Odyssey is the first theatrical feature shot entirely with IMAX film cameras. Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema used 2.1 million feet of IMAX film during production and worked with the company on next-generation camera technology used for the project.

Demand also extended to the limited number of theaters capable of presenting the movie in IMAX 70mm. As of August 10, the 41 locations offering that format worldwide had generated approximately $37.5 million, according to IMAX.

Those figures followed a $52 million IMAX opening weekend, when the format represented about 20% of the film’s worldwide debut. IMAX reported that the opening established several internal benchmarks, including its largest global opening in comparable markets and its largest opening for a Nolan film.

The premium-screen component continued even as competition for large-format theaters increased. IMAX later began sharing select North American digital screens between The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, while keeping Nolan’s film across all 41 IMAX 70mm locations.

Nolan’s Epic Extends Its Global Box Office Run

By crossing $1.35 billion, The Odyssey has also moved beyond Nolan’s previous worldwide box-office totals. The Dark Knight Rises, released in 2012, had remained his highest-grossing film globally at roughly $1.08 billion before the newer film passed it during August.

The milestone developed quickly. The Odyssey crossed $1 billion worldwide after about three weeks in release, with roughly $429.7 million coming from the domestic market and $578.8 million internationally when the threshold was reached. Its total continued climbing as additional overseas markets opened.

The film’s run also arrives during a year in which several releases have crossed major genre-specific box-office thresholds. Another recent example was Michael’s billion-dollar box office milestone, which placed that film above the $1 billion worldwide mark within the biographical film category.

For The Odyssey, the R rating adds context to its current total because the classification restricts unaccompanied viewers under 17 in the United States. The film also runs nearly three hours, with listings placing its runtime at approximately two hours and 52 minutes. Neither factor prevented it from building its worldwide total over successive weekends.

The film remains in theatrical circulation, meaning its final worldwide total has not yet been established. Japan is also scheduled to receive the IMAX release on September 11, according to IMAX, after earlier rollouts in South Korea and China.

The Odyssey box office has passed the worldwide total of Deadpool & Wolverine, placing Nolan’s film at the top of the reported global R-rated box-office ranking before inflation adjustments. Its approximately $1.35 billion total remains subject to change as additional ticket sales are reported.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Odyssey the highest-grossing R-rated movie?

Yes. As of August 20, 2026, The Odyssey had reached roughly $1.35 billion worldwide, moving past Deadpool & Wolverine. The record refers to reported worldwide theatrical grosses before adjusting historical totals for inflation.

How much has The Odyssey made at the box office?

The Odyssey box office total was reported at approximately $1.352 billion worldwide on August 20. Of that total, about $516.3 million had come from North America, according to current reporting.

Which movie held the R-rated box office record before The Odyssey?

Deadpool & Wolverine previously held the worldwide R-rated record after earning approximately $1.338 billion during its 2024 theatrical run. It had previously moved ahead of Joker for the distinction.

How much has The Odyssey earned in IMAX?

IMAX reported that The Odyssey had earned $289 million worldwide through its screens by August 10. The company said that total made the film its highest-grossing release to that date.

Who stars in The Odyssey?

Matt Damon leads the film as Odysseus, with Tom Holland as Telemachus and Anne Hathaway as Penelope. The ensemble also includes Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron.