Christopher Nolan's historical epic "The Odyssey" has passed $700 million (£548 million) at the worldwide box office after a strong second weekend, putting it on course to become one of 2026's biggest cinematic hits. The film, made on a $250 million budget and led by Matt Damon in his first Nolan lead role alongside Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, is now being talked about as a potential $1 billion earner, which would make it only the third Nolan film to reach that milestone after "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises".

The film's takings have already overtaken the final global total of "Project Hail Mary", the Phil Lord and Christopher Miller-directed sci-fi film that made $684 million earlier this year and had been considered one of 2026's defining box office successes. "The Odyssey" is expected to surpass that figure within days of its release, having achieved in a few weekends what took "Project Hail Mary" its entire theatrical run.