Nolan’s The Odyssey overtakes Dark Knight Rises as his top earner
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Christopher Nolan's mythological epic *The Odyssey* has been confirmed by Universal Pictures as the highest-grossing film of his career, and further details now show the scale of the achievement: it is the second-highest-grossing R-rated film ever, both domestically and globally, behind only 2024's *Deadpool & Wolverine*. The film has also pushed Nolan's combined career box office past $7 billion worldwide, with studio executives crediting his ability to draw audiences into cinemas for premium-format and repeat viewings.
*The Odyssey*, released on 17 July, has taken $1.104 billion worldwide in its first month, ahead of *The Dark Knight Rises* on $1.085 billion and *The Dark Knight* on $1.005 billion, with $461.1 million of that earned domestically. It ranks as one of 2026's five billion-dollar films globally, alongside *The Super Mario Galaxy Movie*, *Michael*, *Toy Story 5* and *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* (which beat it at the weekend box office). It also outranks Nolan's 2023 best picture Oscar-winner *Oppenheimer*, which stands fourth on his all-time list with $975.8 million, while stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson each notch their highest-grossing film to date.
- *The Odyssey* is now the second-highest-grossing R-rated film ever
- Nolan's career total box office has passed $7 billion
- It ranks among 2026's five billion-dollar global hits
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Nolan's *The Odyssey* is a big-budget adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic poem about the hero Odysseus's long journey home after the Trojan War. Christopher Nolan, the director behind films such as *Inception*, *Interstellar* and *Oppenheimer*, is known for large-scale, effects-heavy films that perform strongly at the cinema, often released in premium formats like IMAX. The cast includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson.
Box office earnings, meaning the total money a film takes in from cinema tickets, are a standard way of measuring a film's commercial success, distinct from critical reception or awards. Nolan's back catalogue already included major hits such as *The Dark Knight* and *The Dark Knight Rises*, part of his Batman trilogy, as well as *Oppenheimer*, which won the best picture Oscar in 2023.
Tracking where a new release ranks against a director's older films, and against the wider industry, is a common way of gauging its impact and Nolan's continued box office draw.
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Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “‘The Odyssey’ Makes History as Christopher Nolan’s Top-Grossing Movie Ever, Beating ‘Dark Knight Rises’”.