THE ODYSSEY Makes History as Universal’s Biggest Movie Ever With $1.68 Billion

Christopher Nolan has conquered the box office with The Odyssey, and the movie just claimed its biggest record yet.

Less than two months into its theatrical run, Nolan’s epic has officially become the highest-grossing film in Universal Pictures’ 114-year history. The Matt Damon-led film has reached $1.68 billion worldwide, passing every movie the studio has ever released.

Universal announced the milestone on Saturday, with the latest weekend numbers pushing the film to $601.2 million domestically and $1.083 billion internationally.

Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, celebrated the achievement and praised Nolan and producer Emma Thomas for pulling off something massive:

“What Chris and Emma [Thomas] have created will go down as one of the most ambitious and brilliantly executed films in cinematic history. A generational event that galvanizes moviegoing itself.”

The movie has been a box office monster from the beginning. The Odyssey delivered the biggest opening of Nolan’s career, surpassing The Dark Knight Rises, and has now become the filmmaker’s highest-grossing movie ever.

Even eight weekends into its theatrical run, the film recently climbed back into the No. 1 spot at the box office, showing some serious staying power.

The records don’t stop with Nolan or Universal. The Odyssey is now the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever and the biggest IMAX release in history. It’s also the first non-sequel to earn more than $1 billion internationally since 2009.

Nolan and Thomas produced the film through their Syncopy banner, with Thomas Hayslip serving as executive producer. The production was shot across the globe and features a huge collection of Hollywood talent, all mounted on the kind of scale audiences have come to expect from Nolan.

The success also marks another major win for Langley, who brought Nolan to Universal following his departure from Warner Bros. in 2021. That partnership first gave Universal the Best Picture-winning Oppenheimer, and now the studio has The Odyssey, another major awards contender and its biggest movie ever.

Universal itself is having a killer 2026. The studio currently leads the industry with 26% of the domestic market and has earned nearly $5 billion worldwide this year. It was also the first studio in 2026 to cross $4 billion globally and $3 billion at the international box office.

For Nolan, The Odyssey has gone from an ambitious adaptation of Homer’s ancient epic to the biggest commercial success of his career. For Universal, it has rewritten the studio record book.

At $1.68 billion and still playing in theaters, this journey isn’t finished yet.