Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has earned more than $1 billion at the international box office, and it still has nearly four more weeks left in theaters.
The Odyssey is enjoying a hugely successful theatrical run. Reports from Deadline confirm Nolan’s retelling of the ancient Greek epic has earned $1.59 billion at the global box office, becoming the director’s most profitable film to date and the 17th movie to ever cross the $1B mark internationally. (For reference, the global box office adds all markets together, while the international box office concerns markets outside of North America. You can check out our coverage of the film crossing $1B at the global box office here.)
What’s more, it’s the first standalone, non-sequel and non-remake to do so since James Cameron’s Avatar in 2009; other films that have crossed this line include Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, to name a few.
“From its record-breaking opening to this historic milestone, The Odyssey has captivated audiences around the world,” Universal Pictures International’s president of distribution, Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, said in a statement. “We are incredibly proud to have partnered with Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and everyone at Syncopy to share this visionary theatrical experience with audiences everywhere.”
The Odyssey previously broke another big record in late August, overtaking Deadpool & Wolverine to become the highest-grossing R-Rated film of all time. The news earned a humorous congratulations from Ryan Reynolds, who posted a video mashup of Deadpool’s fight against Wolverine in the Honda Odyssey between clips of Odysseus and his men walking through the forest of giants.
“Obviously, [The Odyssey] is an incredible, incredible movie. Christopher Nolan literally breathes the rarest air on Earth. He’s a singular filmmaker. I mean, Matt Damon, Tom Holland, who’s clearly batting a thousand stars with Zendaya. I just love that people are going to the movie theaters. I don’t even care why or for what reason. Just go to the movie theaters. There’s no better shared experience,” the actor told Variety.
There’s still time to see The Odyssey as Nolan intended, with 70mm IMAX showings of the film extended until September 30 due to the small amount of screens that exist in the world. This is the second time these screenings have been extended, likely adding on to its already hugely profitable box office run.
The Odyssey dominated the movies this summer alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which swung past Avengers: Endgame’s record to become the highest-grossing domestic film in history, as well as the most profitable Spider-Man movie of all time, becoming the first one to reach $2 billion in theaters.
If you needed a reason to see the Odyssey before its extended screenings end, check out our review right here on IGN, where we scored Nolan’s version of the epic an 8 out of 10, calling it a “must-watch cinematic experience.”
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
