‘The Odyssey’ Just Outsailed ‘The Lion King’ and ‘The Force Awakens’ Overseas, and Christopher Nolan’s Voyage Still Isn’t Over

When Universal handed Christopher Nolan a blockbuster-sized budget to adapt Homer’s ancient poem, plenty of industry watchers wondered whether an R-rated mythological epic could ever justify the price. The studio spent $250 million to produce it, a staggering cost for any tentpole with that rating, plus another $125 million on global marketing. Months later, the international box office run of ‘The Odyssey’ has turned that gamble into one of the defining success stories of the year.

The film came out swinging from the start. It opened to $124.5 million from 3,919 domestic theaters, Nolan’s biggest debut since ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and the third-largest opening of the year behind ‘Toy Story 5’ and ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’. Overseas, its $139.6 million international launch was also the director’s best ever abroad, beating ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in like-for-like markets.

Now the Greek epic has reached a genuinely historic milestone. According to figures shared by box office analysts, ‘The Odyssey’ earned $13.8M on its 11th weekend overseas, a remarkably slim 17.4% drop, pushing its international cume to $1.13B across 82 markets.

That total edges past the overseas runs of ‘The Lion King’ at $1.12B and ‘The Force Awakens’ at $1.13B, placing Nolan’s film at #10 among the highest-grossing movies ever at the international box office. Combined with its $616.5M domestic haul, the global total now sits at a massive $1.75B, a figure that tracker Box Office Watch also lists after 73 days in release.

#ChristopherNolan’s Epic #TheOdyssey beats both #TheLionKing & #TheForceAwakens’ overseas runs #10 highest grossing film of ALL TIME at international #BoxOffice! LEGENDARY 13.8M on 11th weekend overseas, just a -17.4% drop, for 1.13B intl. cume over 82 intl. markets, beating #TheLionKing’s 1.12B & #TheForceAwakens’ 1.13B overseas runs as #10 highest grossing film of all time internationally! Allied to its 616.5M cume in the US, the Epic with a 250M production price tag not including marketing hits a 1.75B Global cume! With legs still going strong and incredibly resilient on a global scale, allied to IMAX extended in several markets until end of SEP, the 1.8B mark seems locked🔒 Eyeing a 1.8B-1.9B Global run

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) September 27, 2026

What makes this run so striking is how little the film has faded. Back in its second weekend, it pulled in $137 million from 81 overseas markets, a drop of only 3% in holdover territories. Some markets went especially wild, as Italy’s $12.1 million second-weekend take marked the country’s biggest sophomore frame ever for a US studio film, grabbing 87% of that weekend’s box office.

The milestones kept stacking up from there. ‘The Odyssey‘ became the first R-rated film in history to cross $1 billion at the international box office, and it was only the 17th movie ever to surpass that overseas benchmark. It has also become Universal’s highest-grossing release of all time, dethroning the studio’s former champion.

The final trailer for Christopher Nolan's ‘THE ODYSSEY’ has been released.

In theaters on July 17. pic.twitter.com/xn42TcX4aG

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 1, 2026

A huge part of the story is the format itself. ‘The Odyssey’ is the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX’s 70mm film cameras, and audiences have clearly shown up for the premium experience. Deadline reported it was already the highest-grossing film ever in IMAX, with more than $457 million worldwide, and demand was so intense early on that most 70mm showtimes were sold out into September, since there are only 41 of those screens in the world.

According to Fernando, IMAX engagements have also been extended in several markets through the end of September, which should give the film one more meaningful push. He believes the $1.8B mark is essentially locked, projecting a final global run somewhere between $1.8B and $1.9B.

The film’s success has rippled across the studio’s entire slate. Universal became the first studio to cross $5 billion worldwide this year, with ‘The Odyssey’, ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ and ‘Michael’ accounting for three of the five movies to reach $1 billion globally. It marks only the third time Universal has topped $5 billion, and the first since 2017.

Critically, the reception has matched the commercial muscle. The film earned acclaim for its direction, performances and set pieces, although some viewers took issue with Nolan’s departures from the source material. With Matt Damon leading the cast as Odysseus, the movie has proven that original-feeling, auteur-driven spectacle can still dominate a crowded blockbuster calendar.

For a story about a man spending years trying to get home, ‘The Odyssey’ seems in no hurry to leave theaters, and its place among cinema’s all-time international giants is now firmly secured.

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