The Odyssey closes its theatrical run near $1.8 billion as the top R-rated film ever

Director Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey is ending its theatrical run this October with a projected $1.8 billion worldwide, according to Comic Basics, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film ever.

TL;DR

• The Odyssey is tracking at about $1.79 billion worldwide, with $625 million from North America and $1.17 billion from international markets.
• It is the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time and Nolan’s biggest earner.
• In the UK and Ireland, it opened with £12.6 million on 17 July.

How The Odyssey became the biggest R-rated film ever

Box office tracking puts the worldwide total at about $1.79 billion, according to Comic Basics. The domestic figure is now barely moving.

The film opened to roughly $124 million in North America and $264.1 million worldwide. It passed $1 billion in under a month and became IMAX’s highest-grossing release of all time.

Not bad for an ancient poem. The cast is led by actor Matt Damon, alongside Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway, and the budget was reportedly $250 million.

The R-rated record and Nolan’s career best

The R-rated crown changed hands in August. Dark Horizons reported that the film had overtaken Deadpool & Wolverine, reaching $1.34 billion worldwide against that film’s $1.33 billion.

Nolan also holds fourth place on the R-rated list with Oppenheimer, at $983 million, according to the same report. Joker sits third at $1.07 billion.

The Odyssey also passed The Dark Knight Rises, at $1.08 billion, as the biggest film of Nolan’s career. Our earlier report on the film passing $1.7 billion tracked three records falling in a single stretch.

UK and Ireland box office

The film opened in UK cinemas on 17 July, taking £12.6 million across the UK and Ireland that weekend, according to Screen Daily. That was the second-biggest opening of the year so far and the second-biggest ever for Nolan.

Only The Dark Knight Rises opened bigger, at £14.3 million. Screen Daily also said the film recorded the biggest IMAX opening the territory has seen.

Where the film stands now

The Odyssey finishes as the second-highest-grossing film of 2026, behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which has passed $2 billion, per Comic Basics.

Universal’s other billion-dollar hit this year, Michael, ended its own run at $1.028 billion. You can read our full verdict on the film for the case that earned all that money.

---

Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed 26 October 2026.