Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Passes $1.17 Billion to Become Universal’s Biggest International Release

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has sailed past another milestone. Universal Pictures announced that the epic has surpassed $1.17 billion at the international box office, passing Furious 7 to become the studio’s highest-grossing international release of all time.

The record covers ticket sales outside North America, not the worldwide total, and it crowns a theatrical run that has already lasted more than 100 days since the film opened on 17 July. In the United States and Canada, the film has taken about $625.5 million, while trade estimates put the worldwide total near $1.8 billion.

A record built overseas

The breadth of the run is what sets it apart. The United Kingdom and Ireland lead the international markets with $118.5 million, followed by China at $115 million and South Korea at $102.7 million, according to trade reporting of the studio’s figures. The film is now Nolan’s biggest ever in 78 markets, including France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Australia and India, and Universal’s biggest title in 45 markets.

It is also the eighth highest-grossing international Hollywood release of all time, and the second-highest international release of 2026, behind only Spider-Man: Brand New Day. For a film that is not a sequel or a remake, that is a rare feat: Universal has noted it is the first non-sequel and non-remake to gross more than $1 billion internationally since 2009.

The format has been central to the story. Shot entirely with IMAX cameras, the film has earned a record $555 million from IMAX screens worldwide, according to trade estimates, making it the format’s biggest release ever. Premium screens and repeat visits kept the film in cinemas long after most summer releases had moved on.

Why the run matters for Universal

For Universal, the milestone caps a year in which it has led all major studios internationally, with more than $3.37 billion to date. The studio was the first this year to pass $3 billion internationally and $5 billion worldwide, a position built on a slate that mixed franchise blockbusters with filmmaker-driven event films.

The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron, also passed Jurassic World to become Universal’s biggest film worldwide, and Deadpool & Wolverine to become the highest-grossing R-rated film in history. Domestically it finished as the studio’s second-biggest release ever, behind Jurassic World, and just short of Deadpool & Wolverine’s domestic R-rated record.

The result also reframes the film’s early scepticism. Before release, some commentators questioned whether a three-hour adaptation of Homer’s 3,000-year-old poem, made for a reported $250 million, could find a mass audience. It opened to $124.5 million in North America and $264.1 million worldwide, crossed $1 billion within three weeks before it had even opened in China, and has kept going ever since.

What comes next

The film’s cinema run is winding down, but its second life is about to begin. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has set a home-entertainment release for mid-November, with digital, 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray editions carrying more than 90 minutes of extras, including a 12-part behind-the-scenes collection overseen by Nolan. The film is also set to sail home on 17 November, according to studio announcements.

The wider entertainment calendar has been crowded in recent weeks, from the Halloween box office to speculation over the next James Bond and Saturday Night Live’s Halloween episode, but few titles have shown The Odyssey’s staying power. Its challenge now is a different one: whether a film built for the biggest possible screen can hold its audience’s attention in the living room.

Box-office figures vary slightly between trackers, and the totals cited here are trade estimates rather than final audited accounts. On any version of the numbers, however, the conclusion is the same. A 3,000-year-old story, told at the largest scale cinema allows, has become the biggest international hit in Universal’s history.