‘The Odyssey’ Docks at the US Box Office as the Second-Biggest R-Rated Hit of All Time
Few films in recent memory have sustained a theatrical run quite like Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey‘. After more than 3 months of steady business, the epic has now closed the book on its domestic journey, and the final tally is staggering.
The film debuted in July as a big-budget adaptation of Homer’s ancient poem, with a cast led by Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron. It was also the first narrative feature shot entirely on IMAX film cameras, which made it an event for premium screens from day one.
Now, after 105 days in theaters, the numbers are official. The movie wrapped its US run with $625.6 million, which makes it the second-highest-grossing R-rated film of all time domestically.
The last chapter was a quiet one. On its 15th Thursday, the film earned just $34,000 across the final 144 theaters still playing it, bringing a remarkable run to a close.
That $625.6 million total lands only about $11 million short of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, which finished with $636.7 million. It also makes ‘The Odyssey’ the second-highest-grossing film of the year in the US, behind only ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’.
That’s it! ✅ After 105 days, #ChristopherNolan’s Epic #TheOdyssey finished a journey of legend at US #BoxOffice, grossing 34k on 15th THU over the last 144 theatres which were still playing it! #TheOdyssey ends its US run with a 625.6M total, as the #2 highest grossing R-rated film of ALL TIME, only 11M under #DeadpoolAndWolverine’s 636.7M run. It’s also the #2 highest grossing film of the year, only under #SpiderManBrandNewDay. And also #Universal’s #2 highest grossing film of ALL TIME domestically, only under #JurassicWorld’s 653.4M. https://t.co/j2LTviyhow
— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 30, 2026
The result also carries weight for the studio. Domestically, ‘The Odyssey’ finishes as Universal’s second-highest-grossing film of all time, behind only ‘Jurassic World’, which earned $653.4 million.
Globally, the film has already gone further. Universal announced in September that it had passed ‘Jurassic World’ to become the studio’s biggest film ever worldwide, and its total now sits at roughly $1.8 billion.
The film’s climb was built on strong word of mouth. It opened with more than $120 million domestically and posted the best second-weekend hold of any $100 million opener in history, dropping just 27%.
It later became Nolan’s highest-grossing film ever, passing ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ at $1.085 billion, and it set a record as IMAX’s biggest release of all time with about $289 million globally. Universal also noted that it is the first non-sequel and non-remake to gross more than $1 billion internationally since 2009.
Worldwide, ‘The Odyssey’ is now the highest-grossing R-rated film ever, surpassing the previous record holder ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, which had earned about $1.338 billion. Wikipedia lists it as the 11th-highest-grossing film of all time.
The numbers cap a remarkable stretch for the director. His previous film, ‘Oppenheimer’, earned roughly $975 million worldwide and won the Oscar for Best Picture, and ‘The Odyssey’ has surpassed that total by a wide margin.
The film’s budget was reported at $250 million, with estimates placing its break-even point somewhere between $625 million and $750 million. By any measure, it cleared that bar comfortably once international ticket sales were counted.
With the box office chapter closed, the conversation is turning to awards season. One report noted that the film’s Oscar campaign is already underway, with the question being whether commercial triumph can translate into awards-season glory.
For now, the film’s place in box office history is secure. It proved that a nearly 3-hour R-rated adaptation of a poem that is almost 3,000 years old can compete with the biggest franchise tentpoles on the calendar.
The final trailer for Christopher Nolan’s ‘THE ODYSSEY’ has been released. In theaters on July 17. https://t.co/xn42TcX4aG
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 1, 2026
It also reinforced the pull of Nolan’s name as a brand. In a year dominated by sequels and superheroes, an original-minded epic made the case that audiences will still show up in huge numbers for a filmmaker with a singular vision.
Do you think Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey deserves to dominate this year’s Oscars?
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