‘The Odyssey’ Makes Universal Box Office History by Surpassing ‘Jurassic World’
“The Odyssey” has officially reached a huge milestone for Universal Pictures. Christopher Nolan’s latest movie has passed “Jurassic World” to become the studio’s highest-grossing film ever worldwide, showing just how far an original movie can go when audiences connect with it. By the end of its ninth weekend, the film is expected to reach around $1.684 billion globally, putting it slightly ahead of the $1.677 billion earned by “Jurassic World” in 2015.
The numbers are even more impressive when you look at what kind of movie “The Odyssey” is. It is a three-hour, R-rated adaptation of Homer’s ancient epic rather than a sequel to a major franchise. Despite that, the movie has continued to attract audiences weeks after opening, with strong results in both North America and international markets. According to the figures shared in NBCUniversal’s official statement, the film has earned about $601.2 million domestically and another $1.083 billion overseas.
That worldwide total has pushed “The Odyssey” into some very impressive box office company. The movie is now the 12th highest-grossing film ever and ranks as the third-biggest non-franchise movie, behind only “Titanic” and “Avatar” in that category. While “Jurassic World” still has the higher domestic total, with $653.4 million compared with “The Odyssey’s” $601.2 million, Nolan’s movie has made up the difference with its massive international performance.
One of the biggest surprises has been how well the movie has traveled around the world. “The Odyssey” has become Universal’s biggest release ever in 45 individual international markets, including France, Italy, India, Australia and South Korea. That kind of result is unusual for a movie based on an ancient story and shows that the film has reached far beyond the usual Hollywood audience.
Universal executives have also celebrated the achievement. Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, praised Nolan and producer Emma Thomas in the studio’s official statement, describing the movie as “one of the most ambitious and brilliantly executed films in cinematic history.” The comments underline just how important the movie has become for the studio after months of strong theatrical results.
The movie has also added several records to Nolan’s already impressive career. “The Odyssey” is now his biggest film ever at the domestic and international box office, passing “The Dark Knight” in North America. It has also become the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history, moving beyond “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which previously held that worldwide record with $1.33 billion.
What may be even more impressive is how slowly the movie has dropped from week to week. “The Odyssey” has posted a global box office multiple of 6.39 compared with its opening weekend, showing that the film has continued to bring in audiences instead of relying almost entirely on its first few weeks. During its eighth weekend, it even returned to the top spot worldwide, while its domestic box office fell by only 9 percent.
The success has been a major boost for Universal’s entire 2026 movie slate. According to the information provided by NBCUniversal, the studio became the first to pass $3 billion internationally and $4 billion worldwide this year. “The Odyssey” has played a major part in that run alongside other major releases such as “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and the “Michael” biopic. With the studio’s worldwide total already around $4.92 billion, Universal is having a remarkable year at the global box office.
For Nolan, the result is another reminder that audiences will still show up for ambitious original movies when there is a major filmmaker behind them and a strong theatrical experience to sell. “The Odyssey” took a huge gamble by turning one of the oldest stories in Western literature into a massive IMAX event, and audiences clearly responded. With the film still playing in theaters and awards season ahead, its final worldwide total could continue to climb before its run is over.
What do you think is the biggest reason “The Odyssey” became Universal’s highest-grossing movie ever?
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