Summary:
Key Points
- Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' has passed $1.008 billion worldwide after three weeks in theaters, Variety reported.
- It is Nolan's first film since 2012's 'The Dark Knight Rises' to reach the billion-dollar mark.
- The nearly three-hour adult drama is set to become Nolan's highest-grossing release within days.
The latest:
A nearly three-hour epic adapted from a 3,000-year-old poem has taken $1.008 billion in 21 days. Variety reported ‘The Odyssey,’ starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, earned $429.65 million domestically and $578.8 million internationally, all before opening in China.
Details:
- The record:: Variety said the film will shortly pass ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ ($1.08 billion) and ‘The Dark Knight’ ($1.008 billion) to top Nolan’s career list.
- China ahead:: The film reaches Chinese theaters on Aug. 14, expected on nearly 800 Imax screens plus thousands of standard auditoriums, according to Variety.
- The year’s field:: It is 2026’s fifth billion-dollar release, after ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ ($1.18 billion), ‘Toy Story 5’ ($1.067 billion), ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ and ‘Michael’ (both $1.001 billion).
- Industry stakes:: Variety said Hollywood is counting on ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Spider-Man’ to lift domestic sales above $4 billion for only the second time since COVID.
Background:
North America last cleared $4 billion in 2023, powered by Nolan’s Oscar-winning ‘Oppenheimer’ ($975 million) and Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie,’ per Variety. A record nine films passed $1 billion in 2019.
Between the lines:
Variety assessed the result as confirmation that Nolan is the most bankable filmmaker of his generation, arguing that an adult-skewing literary adaptation clearing $1 billion without China is a remarkable outlier. The outlet credited glowing word of mouth and unusual demand for premium large formats, which it expects to keep the film in theaters through summer and into fall. Since 2019, no year had produced more than three billion-dollar titles; 2026 has five at its midpoint, a figure Variety framed as the strongest post-pandemic recovery signal yet for exhibitors betting on big-screen event releases.
What’s next
Watch the Aug. 14 China opening and the Imax rollout, whether the film overtakes the $1.08 billion set by ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ and whether 2026 domestic receipts clear $4 billion.
:
