The Odyssey sails past $1 billion to become Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing film
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has passed $1 billion worldwide to become the director's biggest film, part of a shifting box-office hierarchy that now includes Michael, Lilo & Stitch and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has become the highest-grossing film of his directing career, passing $1 billion at the global box office less than a month after its 17 July release and overtaking The Dark Knight Rises. One report puts its worldwide total above $1.1 billion.
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has passed $1 billion at the global box office, becoming the highest-grossing film of his directing career. The Universal adaptation of Homer's epic, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, reached the milestone less than a month after its release on 17 July, with one report putting its total above $1.1 billion. The film overtook The Dark Knight Rises, which had stood as Nolan's biggest earner, and crossed $700 million worldwide within its first two weeks. In India, it surpassed Oppenheimer to become the director's highest-grossing release there and entered the top 10 highest-grossing Hollywood films in the country, according to reports. The billion-dollar mark remains Hollywood's standard benchmark of a blockbuster, and only a small number of films have ever reached it. The Odyssey's climb reshapes the record books for one of the industry's most bankable directors, at a moment when trade publications are already ranking the year's biggest hits and looking ahead to 2026.
The Odyssey crosses $1 billion and rewrites Nolan's record books
Christopher Nolan has a new career benchmark. The Odyssey, Universal's adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic, has become the highest-grossing film of his directing career, passing the $1 billion mark at the global box office less than a month after its release on 17 July.
The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and arrived in cinemas as one of the year's most anticipated releases. It delivered quickly. According to reports, The Odyssey earned more than $700 million worldwide within two weeks of opening, a pace that signalled early on that it would challenge the director's previous records. It has since gone on to surpass $1.1 billion globally, according to one report.
In doing so, the film overtook The Dark Knight Rises, which had stood as Nolan's biggest earner. That film, the concluding chapter of his Batman trilogy, held the record for years. The Odyssey has now moved past it, giving the director a new high-water mark built not on a superhero franchise but on a centuries-old epic poem.
The speed of the climb is notable. Reaching $1 billion in under a month places The Odyssey among the faster earners in box office history, and it continues to play in theatres, meaning the final total has yet to be set. The exact worldwide gross beyond the reported $1.1 billion figure is not yet known.
For Universal, the result vindicates a large-scale bet on classical source material. For Nolan, it confirms that his name alone can open a film at the highest commercial level, even without the backing of an established comic-book property. The record he spent more than a decade building with Gotham's Dark Knight now belongs to a Greek king's long voyage home.
The Odyssey was expected to surpass Oppenheimer's box office collection in India ahead of its release.
Universal released The Odyssey, its adaptation of Homer's epic starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, in theaters.
The Odyssey earned more than $700 million worldwide within two weeks of its release.
The Odyssey surpassed Oppenheimer to become Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing film in India.
The Odyssey entered the top 10 highest-grossing Hollywood films in India, passing Deadpool & Wolverine.
The Odyssey passed the $1 billion mark at the global box office.
The Odyssey earned more than $1 billion globally, surpassing $1.1 billion according to one report.
The Odyssey overtook The Dark Knight Rises to become the highest-grossing film of Christopher Nolan's directing career.
The Michael Jackson biopic Michael passed a new box office milestone while continuing its theatrical run.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned about $1.15 billion worldwide within roughly one week of release.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day overtook Toy Story 5 to become the highest-grossing film of 2026.
How Hollywood measures a hit, and why $1 billion still matters
When Hollywood tallies success, the number that counts is the theatrical box office. Trade publications rely on cinema earnings as the primary metric for ranking films, largely because that data is far more readily available than figures for home video sales or television broadcast rights. A film's true financial picture is broader: revenue flows in from theatrical exhibition, home video, TV licensing and merchandising. But those streams are harder to track and compare, so the global gross remains the industry's common currency.
That makes the $1 billion threshold a meaningful, if rare, achievement. According to reports, only 63 films have ever crossed that mark at the worldwide box office. The Odyssey is now one of them, and reports suggest Avatar: Fire & Ash and Spider-Man: Brand New Day have also joined the club.
An even smaller tier sits above it. Reports indicate that only a handful of titles — Avatar, Titanic and Spider-Man: No Way Home among them — have each earned more than $2 billion globally.
The rankings built on these figures take several forms. Forbes, for instance, published a top 10 of the highest-grossing movies of 2025, measured both worldwide and domestically, a list that included the live-action Lilo & Stitch. Similar league tables rank directors rather than films: one ranking of the 20 highest-grossing directors of all time features Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan, each credited with generating billions at the box office, according to the ranking's compilers.
In India, The Odyssey outgrosses Oppenheimer
The Odyssey's strong run extended well beyond North America. In India, the film surpassed Oppenheimer to become Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing release in the country, according to reports. Oppenheimer had previously held that distinction among the director's films in the Indian market.
The milestone came quickly. Reports indicate The Odyssey overtook Oppenheimer's Indian total within two weeks of its release, part of a broader international surge that saw the film pass $700 million worldwide over the same period.
The film also broke into the top 10 highest-grossing Hollywood films in India, according to reports, passing Deadpool & Wolverine to claim its place on the list. That put the Universal epic ahead of one of the biggest comic-book releases of recent years in a market where superhero films have historically performed strongly.
The result was not entirely unexpected. Before its 17 July release, The Odyssey had been tipped to surpass Oppenheimer's box office collection in India, reports suggested, with advance interest in the Matt Damon-led adaptation running high. The actual performance appears to have met those expectations, and then some, as the film continued to climb the Indian charts alongside its global ascent past the $1 billion mark.
Michael, Lilo & Stitch and the rest of the 2025 box office
The Odyssey was not the only film moving the needle at the box office. Michael, the biopic of Michael Jackson, passed a new box office milestone while continuing its theatrical run. The specific figure it reached has not been disclosed, but the film's sustained performance in cinemas added to a crowded field of commercial successes.
Forbes published a ranking of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2025, measured both worldwide and domestically in the United States. Among the titles on that list was the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, which converted a familiar animated property into one of the year's biggest earners. The full ranking and the individual earnings of each film were not detailed in the source material, but the list underlines how broadly the year's box office spoils were spread, from franchise sequels to remakes to original tentpoles.
The Forbes dual ranking also illustrates a distinction that matters in how hits are assessed. A film can dominate the domestic market without matching that performance overseas, and vice versa. Worldwide grosses tend to favour spectacle-driven titles with broad international appeal, while the domestic chart can reward properties with a strong American fanbase. The live-action Lilo & Stitch's presence on the list places it in that conversation, even as The Odyssey and other blockbusters commanded the headlines.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day sets the early pace for 2026
The new year already has a frontrunner. According to reports, Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned about $1.15 billion at the worldwide box office within roughly one week of its release, a pace that would place it among the fastest earners in recent memory.
That opening week was enough, reports suggest, for the film to overtake Toy Story 5 and become the highest-grossing film of 2026 so far. The exact release date of Brand New Day has not been confirmed in the available reporting, but its early performance establishes a commanding lead over the animated sequel.
If the reported figures hold, Brand New Day would also join a select group. According to the sources consulted, only 63 films have ever grossed at least $1 billion at the box office, and Brand New Day is reported to be among them. Avatar: Fire & Ash, the latest instalment in James Cameron's franchise, is also reported to have crossed the billion-dollar threshold, giving 2026 two early members of that club.
The reported pace of Brand New Day invites comparison with the biggest earners on record. Multiple films, including Avatar, Titanic, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, have each earned more than $2 billion globally, according to reports. Whether Brand New Day can sustain its momentum long enough to approach that territory will depend on the weeks ahead, but its first week alone has already reshaped the 2026 box office picture.
Where Nolan now stands among the highest-grossing directors
Nolan's latest success has renewed attention on where he sits among the most commercially successful filmmakers ever. According to a reported ranking of the 20 highest-grossing directors of all time, both Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan feature on the list, with each credited with generating billions of dollars at the box office over their careers. The exact career totals attributed to each director are not specified in the reporting, so any precise ordering between them remains unclear.
The reported list, which has circulated via outlets including MSN, places the two filmmakers in rare company. Spielberg's presence reflects decades of blockbuster releases, while Nolan's position has been built on a shorter but remarkably consistent run of large-scale hits. The Odyssey, which has now overtaken The Dark Knight Rises as his highest-grossing film, adds substantially to that career tally, though the directors ranking predates any full accounting of the new film's performance.
Such rankings should be treated with some caution. They rely on cumulative theatrical grosses, which are the most readily available figures but capture only part of a film's total earnings. They also tend to favour directors with long careers and frequent releases, and they are not adjusted for inflation, meaning older films are measured in the ticket prices of their era.
Even so, the reported top 20 list underlines how unusual Nolan's commercial record is. Few directors working primarily in original, adult-oriented blockbusters have sustained billion-dollar results, and his standing among the highest-grossing names in cinema history now rests on firmer ground than ever.
Frequently asked questions
Did The Odyssey make $1 billion at the box office?
Yes. The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's Universal adaptation of Homer's epic starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, passed the $1 billion mark at the global box office less than a month after its theatrical release on 17 July. According to one report, its total surpassed $1.1 billion. The film had already earned more than $700 million worldwide within two weeks of release, according to reports.
What is Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing movie?
The Odyssey. The film overtook The Dark Knight Rises, which had previously been Nolan's highest-grossing film, after earning more than $1 billion globally. Reports also indicate The Odyssey surpassed Oppenheimer to become Nolan's highest-grossing film in India, where it entered the top 10 highest-grossing Hollywood films, passing Deadpool & Wolverine.
How much did Spider-Man: Brand New Day make in its first week?
According to reports, Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned about $1.15 billion at the worldwide box office within roughly one week of release. Reports also indicate it overtook Toy Story 5 to become the highest-grossing film of 2026. Its exact release date is not specified in available sources.
How many movies have grossed over $1 billion?
According to reports, only 63 films have ever grossed at least $1 billion at the box office. Films said to be in that group include The Odyssey, Avatar: Fire & Ash, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. A smaller number of films, including Avatar, Titanic, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, have reportedly each earned more than $2 billion globally.
What were the highest-grossing movies of 2025?
Forbes published a ranking of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2025 both worldwide and domestically. The live-action Lilo & Stitch was among the films included. The full list and each film's individual earnings were not detailed in the available coverage.
Compiled from reporting by 8 independent outlets. How we source our reporting.
