The Odyssey Crosses $1 Billion Overseas With Weeks Still to Run

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has pulled in more than $1 billion at the international box office, and it isn’t done yet. Nearly four more weeks of theatrical run remain.

The global figure is $1.59 billion. That makes Nolan’s take on the ancient Greek epic the most profitable film of his career and the 17th movie ever to clear $1 billion internationally. Worth separating the two numbers: global box office counts every market added together, while international refers to markets outside North America.

The company it keeps

Here’s the detail that should stop you. It’s the first standalone film, no sequel, no remake, to reach that mark since James Cameron’s Avatar in 2009. Everything else in the club came with baggage attached. Avengers: Endgame. Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Franchises, all of them.

Universal Pictures International’s president of distribution, Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, put it this way in a statement: “From its record-breaking opening to this historic milestone, The Odyssey has captivated audiences around the world. We are incredibly proud to have partnered with Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and everyone at Syncopy to share this visionary theatrical experience with audiences everywhere.”

Ryan Reynolds took the loss gracefully

In late August the film overtook Deadpool & Wolverine as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. Reynolds responded with a video mashup splicing Deadpool’s fight against Wolverine in the Honda Odyssey with clips of Odysseus and his men walking through the forest of giants.

He also said this to Variety: “Obviously, [The Odyssey] is an incredible, incredible movie. Christopher Nolan literally breathes the rarest air on Earth. He’s a singular filmmaker. I mean, Matt Damon, Tom Holland, who’s clearly batting a thousand stars with Zendaya. I just love that people are going to the movie theaters. I don’t even care why or for what reason. Just go to the movie theaters. There’s no better shared experience.”

The 70mm window keeps getting pushed

You can still see it the way Nolan built it. The 70mm IMAX showings have been extended through September 30, a consequence of how few screens capable of running the format exist anywhere in the world. This is the second extension. Each one adds to a run that was already doing fine without the help.

It shared the summer with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which passed Avengers: Endgame to become the highest-grossing domestic film in history and the first Spider-Man movie to hit $2 billion in theaters. Two films, one season, both rewriting the record book from different directions.

We gave The Odyssey an 8 out of 10. The screens that can show it properly are counted in dozens worldwide, and the clock on them runs out September 30.