‘The Odyssey’ Crosses $1 Billion Internationally, Becoming the First Original Film To Do So in Nearly Two Decades

Modern blockbuster filmmaking has become almost synonymous with franchise IP, with studios increasingly reluctant to gamble nine-figure budgets on anything without an established fanbase built in. That reluctance has made it exceedingly rare for a genuinely original film to break into the billion-dollar club at the box office.

Christopher Nolan has spent his career proving that assumption wrong time and again, and his latest epic has just delivered his most emphatic statement yet. Since opening back in July, the film has continued racking up milestone after milestone, each one reinforcing just how unusual its box office trajectory has become in today’s franchise-dominated landscape.

‘The Odyssey,’ now Nolan’s highest-grossing movie ever at $1.59 billion worldwide, has crossed another major milestone by becoming the 17th film to surpass $1 billion at the international box office. What sets this particular billion-dollar achievement apart is that it makes ‘The Odyssey’ the first Hollywood non-sequel and non-remake to reach that threshold since 2009’s ‘Avatar.’

Through its most recent overseas tally, the film has earned $1.014 billion in international territories alone, with its top-performing markets including the U.K. and Ireland at $109.2 million, China at $92.7 million, France at $84.6 million, Korea at $74 million and Italy at $63.2 million. Universal Pictures International president of distribution Veronika Kwan Vandenberg said the film has captivated audiences around the world from its record-breaking opening through this historic milestone, expressing pride in the studio’s partnership with Nolan, producer Emma Thomas and the team at Syncopy, according to Deadline.

‘The Odyssey’ opened to $264.1 million at the global box office, the biggest start of Nolan’s career, surpassing even 2012’s ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ Its $139.6 million international opening weekend also marked his biggest overseas debut ever, ahead of both ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in comparable markets.

The film went on to claim the title of Nolan’s biggest-ever opening in 52 different markets, including Brazil, France, Italy, India, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands and Spain, while becoming his highest-grossing title overall in 75 markets. That kind of consistent dominance across so many diverse territories speaks to just how broadly the film’s appeal has resonated internationally.

‘The Odyssey’ now ranks as one of five films to cross $1 billion in 2026, trailing only ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ which has earned over $2.3 billion worldwide, while sitting ahead of ‘Toy Story 5’ at $1.13 billion, ‘Michael’ at $1.02 billion and ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ at $1.01 billion. Being the sole non-franchise, non-sequel title among that group only underscores how rare its box office run has become.

Beyond its overall gross, the film has also established itself as the highest-grossing IMAX release of all time, pulling in more than $457 million worldwide through the format alone. IMAX recently announced it would extend the film’s 70mm run into an eleventh consecutive week, further reflecting the sustained demand that’s kept the film performing strongly well beyond its opening weeks.

For an industry that has increasingly treated interconnected franchise storytelling as the only reliable path to billion-dollar returns, Nolan’s willingness to bet on a standalone adaptation of Homer’s ancient text feels like a deliberate rebuke of that conventional wisdom. Backed by a cast including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland and Zendaya, the film has managed to prove that ambitious, original filmmaking can still command audiences on a truly global scale.

With the film still performing strongly heading into fall and its IMAX run extended even further, ‘The Odyssey’ shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Given how rare this kind of achievement has become for original storytelling, its continued success may prompt other studios to reconsider just how much appetite still exists for movies that aren’t tied to an existing franchise.

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