Right now, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is generating daily headlines thanks to its incredible box office performance, shattering multiple records only a week into its run. With the way Marvel’s latest has completely dwarfed everything else in theaters, it’s easy to forget that there was another record-breaking blockbuster only a couple of weeks prior. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey delivered on the hype, earning widespread critical praise as it made its way into the box office history books. Impressively, it’s become Nolan’s highest-grossing film since his Batman days, and now it’s about to hit a major box office milestone.
According to Global Box Office on X, The Odyssey is projected to reach $1 billion worldwide today (Friday, August 7th). It will be Nolan’s third film to gross $1 billion globally and the first since The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. The other, as you might expect, is The Dark Knight.
The Odyssey Will Be Christopher Nolan’s Highest-Grossing Film of All Time
After The Odyssey officially crosses the $1 billion mark, there will be one last bit of history for it to make. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes the highest-grossing film of Christopher Nolan’s storied career. The Dark Knight Rises currently holds that title, earning $1.085 billion. Even though Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the main attraction at the multiplex right now, The Odyssey remains a substantial draw in its own right — particularly in premium formats. Moviegoers continue to seek out IMAX 70mm screenings so they can experience the film on the biggest screens possible.
The Odyssey is one of the biggest movies of the year, but it’s still a bit surprising to see it overtake Batman at the box office. Batman is one of the most popular characters in all of fiction, boasting a global fan base that will turn out in droves whenever he’s headlining a new film. Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy was considered a high-water mark for comic book adaptations, transcending the genre and capturing the full attention of the zeitgeist. The Dark Knight was a generational event film bolstered by Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker, and then audiences were excited to see how the story would conclude in The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan has proven his box office bona fides outside of Batman time and time again, but The Odyssey is a tremendous accomplishment even by his lofty standards.
Turning Batman into a $1 billion success is one thing. The Odyssey is medieval fantasy, a genre that’s taken its licks at the box office in recent years. The Odyssey breaking through in this way is a testament to the appeal of Nolan as a box office draw and his talents as a filmmaker. He found a way to make a story with a cyclops, gods, sirens, and more resonate with audiences worldwide. Nolan’s approach has drawn criticism in some circles (including scholar Emily Wilson, whose famous translation of Homer’s poem inspired Nolan’s film), but it’s hard to argue with the results. The Odyssey parlayed its strong word of mouth into one of the best box office hauls of the year. It’s the fifth film in 2026 to pass $1 billion.
The combination of critical acclaim and box office success means we’ll be hearing more about The Odyssey for the remainder of the year. It’s been making an impression on awards voters, enthralling Academy members after screenings. Industry professionals are raving about everything from Nolan’s incredible sense of scale and scope to the captivating performances, so The Odyssey is shaping up to be one of the main contenders in this year’s Oscar race. Nolan won only a few years ago for Oppenheimer, but The Odyssey could be too big to ignore.