The Odyssey passes $300m at box office faster than any Nolan film

A huge feat even for Nolan

The milestone marks a blistering start for Nolan’s retelling of the poem, which has reached the figure quicker than his previous highest-grossing film to date. The Odyssey racked up $320.5 million domestically in the US after just 12 days in the cinemas, faster than his previous record-holder The Dark Knight Rises (2012), which took 15 days. The Odyssey has made over $700 million worldwide, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2026, behind Toy Story 5, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Michael, which have all made just over $1 billion. It's worth saying, that The Odyssey still has a hell of a long time to run in theaters, and will likely be challenging the four behemoths for the top spot.

In the fortnight since release, strong reviews and word of mouth have kept audiences returning, with the epic scale of the story tailor-made for the big-screen treatment Nolan is known for. Demand has also been sharpened by the film’s premium-format rollout: the fact that only a handful of UK cinemas can screen it as intended has pushed fans towards the largest, highest-specification screens available.

Why The Odyssey is breaking box office records

Nolan’s films routinely reward repeat viewing, and The Odyssey appears to be following the same pattern, with its ancient-world spectacle drawing crowds back for a second and third look. That momentum has allowed it to outpace the director’s own back catalogue on the way to the $264.1m mark, an unusually fast climb for a film built around a centuries-old story rather than an established franchise.

With its run still building, the studio will hope the epic “might just be getting started”, as early takings suggest there is plenty of road left in its theatrical journey.