Christopher Nolan's "Odyssey" has become the most commercially successful film in Universal Pictures' history, after driving box office totals to new heights over the summer. In its ninth week of release, the film passed the $1.67 billion global record set by "Jurassic World" in 2015.
According to The Wrap, the milestone adds to a string of box office records set by the film. Among them is the biggest opening of Nolan's career, surpassing "The Dark Knight Rises," which had held the all-time record for an R-rated film, as well as the title of the most profitable production in the history of Imax screenings.
"Odyssey" is also the first film that is neither a sequel nor a remake since "Avatar" in the early 2010s to pass $1 billion in earnings outside North America, underscoring Nolan's standing as the most popular director in world cinema.
Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, said what Nolan and producer Emma Thomas had created would go down in film history as one of the most ambitious and accomplished films ever made. She said it was an event that spoke to an entire generation and strengthened public interest in cinema itself.
Nolan's Partnership With Universal
"Odyssey" extends Nolan's successful run with Universal, a partnership that began five years ago when the director ended a decade-long relationship with Warner Bros. and signed with Comcast's studio to make the biographical film "Oppenheimer."
Matt Damon Leads Homer Adaptation
The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and premiered in Greek theaters on July 16. Following the central thread of Homer's ancient epic poem, it traces the hero's decade-long journey home to the island of Ithaca after the Trojan War.
Summer Box Office Dominance
Together with Sony and Marvel's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," "Odyssey" shaped the second half of the summer movie season, finishing in second place among the summer's most profitable films.
