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Nolan’s The Odyssey overtakes Dark Knight Rises as his top earner
Developed over time first seen 3 months ago
Christopher Nolan's mythological epic *The Odyssey* has become the highest-grossing film of his career, Universal Pictures confirmed, overtaking the two Batman films that previously topped his list. It ranks as the second-highest-grossing R-rated film ever, both domestically and globally, behind only 2024's *Deadpool & Wolverine*, and has 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.
Released on 17 July, *The Odyssey* took $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. Starring Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson, it also became the highest-grossing Imax release of all time, taking $289.3 million in Imax box office as the first narrative feature shot entirely on Imax film cameras. It ranks among 2026's five billion-dollar global films, alongside *The Super Mario Galaxy Movie*, *Michael*, *Toy Story 5* and *Spider-Man: Brand New Day*.
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In short
- *The Odyssey* is now Nolan's highest-grossing film ever
- Made $1.104bn worldwide, topping both Dark Knight films
- Also became the highest-grossing Imax release of all time
How this story developed
- 3 months ago Further figures showed the film also surpassing Nolan's Oscar-winning *Oppenheimer*, which sits fourth on his all-time list with $975.8 million, confirming *The Odyssey* as the top-grossing release to date for stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson alike.
- 3 months ago Beyond the career-best milestone, it emerged that *The Odyssey* had also become the highest-grossing Imax release ever, earning $289.3 million in Imax revenue as the first narrative feature shot entirely on Imax film cameras, and joined four other films in crossing $1 billion globally in 2026.
- 3 months ago Universal Pictures confirmed that Christopher Nolan's *The Odyssey*, released 17 July, had become the highest-grossing film of his career, taking $1.104 billion worldwide to overtake *The Dark Knight Rises* and *The Dark Knight* while trailing only *Deadpool & Wolverine* among R-rated releases.
Explained simply
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’”.