The Odyssey has officially entered the billion-dollar club and in doing so, Christopher Nolan has a new box office champion. The Homer inspired epic has crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide and has now overtaken The Dark Knight Rises to become the highest grossing film of Nolan’s career.
After four weekends in theatres, The Odyssey has collected around $1.1 billion globally, with $461.1 million coming from North America and another $643.6 million from international markets, Deadline reported. That puts the film ahead of The Dark Knight Rises which finished its theatrical run with around $1.085 billion worldwide. It is another major milestone for Nolan whose films have now earned more than $7 billion globally.
With The Odyssey continues its successful theatrical run, let’s take a look at highest grossing movies of all time.
1. Avatar
James Cameron’s Avatar remains the worldwide box office king. Released in 2009, the film’s theatrical earnings have continued to grow through subsequent re-releases which takes its lifetime global total to nearly $2.93 billion.
2. Avengers: Endgame
The Marvel blockbuster came remarkably close to taking the top spot when it arrived in 2019. Avengers: Endgame, which brought the Infinity Saga to its massive climax, currently stands at around $2.80 billion worldwide.
3. Avatar: The Way Of Water
Cameron returned to Pandora more than a decade after the original Avatar and audiences turned up in enormous numbers. The 2022 sequel has earned approximately $2.33 billion globally.
4. Ne Zha 2
The Chinese animated fantasy film Ne Zha 2 broke into territory mostly dominated by Hollywood blockbusters. With around $2.27 billion worldwide, it currently occupies fourth place.
5. Titanic
Another James Cameron film remains firmly among the biggest box office performers ever. Titanic, originally released in 1997, has earned roughly $2.26 billion worldwide across its theatrical releases and re-releases.
6. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The return of the Star Wars saga to cinemas in 2015 became a global event. The Force Awakens crossed the $2 billion mark worldwide and currently sits above Avengers: Infinity War.
7. Avengers: Infinity War
Before Endgame took over the spotlight, Avengers: Infinity War delivered one of Marvel’s biggest theatrical runs. The 2018 film has earned just over $2.05 billion globally.
8. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Tom Holland’s Spider Man outing brought together multiple generations of the character and became a huge post pandemic theatrical success. No Way Home has collected around $1.92 billion worldwide.
9. Zootopia 2
Disney’s animated sequel Zootopia 2 has also joined the billion-dollar heavyweights with its worldwide haul reaching approximately $1.87 billion.
10. Inside Out 2
Pixar’s Inside Out 2 rounds out the current top 10. Released in 2024, the animated sequel earned around $1.70 billion globally and became one of the studio’s biggest theatrical successes.
Where Does The Odyssey Stand?
So, while The Odyssey has achieved the biggest worldwide haul of Nolan’s career, it still has some distance to cover before entering the all time top 10.
In the meantime, the film has picked up several other milestones along the way. The Odyssey is now the second highest grossing R rated film worldwide, behind Deadpool & Wolverine, which earned around $1.33 billion. It is also the highest grossing R rated release of 2026 so far.
For Nolan, the film has another distinction too. The Odyssey has become the biggest worldwide grosser for stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson.
