Christopher Nolan's epic film "The Odyssey" has become the biggest box office hit of his career, passing $1.3 billion in worldwide takings a month into its cinema run. The film, Nolan's first venture into the fantasy genre, has overtaken "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises" to become his third picture to cross $1 billion globally, putting it on course to outperform the most expensive "Jurassic World" instalment at the box office.

Starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson, the film has already topped $500 million domestically and is expected to overtake "The Dark Knight" in North America within weeks. It has also drawn strong critical and audience acclaim, holding a 94% critics' score and 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and is tipped to be a major Oscar contender following Nolan's Best Picture and Best Director wins for "Oppenheimer".