Nolan’s The Odyssey looks poised to do what Oppenheimer couldn’t

Christopher Nolan does love smashing records, doesn’t he? His latest effort, The Odyssey, has just barrelled past yet another box office milestone, this time edging within a whisker of Barbie’s globally staggering haul—a feat not even his own Oppenheimer managed during the whole Barbenheimer mayhem. If you’ve been following the numbers, we’re talking less than $1 million off Barbie’s final total, so expect headlines about it overtaking any minute now.

The Odyssey is already the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever made, trouncing both Deadpool & Wolverine at the worldwide box office.

For some context: after just a month in cinemas, The Odyssey has raked in $1.446 billion globally, slightly trailing Barbie’s $1.447 billion finish from 2023. These numbers aren’t just big—they’re Nolan’s personal best. This Greek epic has outdone both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises on home turf and abroad, which, frankly, is impressive given the obsessive following those Batman films still command.

Nolan vs Barbie: Round Two

There’s a certain poetry to this race, considering 2023’s pop culture spectacle when Oppenheimer and Barbie went head-to-head (who can forget “Barbenheimer”?), with Nolan’s historical epic finishing at a mere $976 million—now looking modest compared to his latest. This time, Nolan’s come out swinging, and barring a sudden twist, The Odyssey should leapfrog Barbie’s total in a matter of days, according to the latest box office figures from Box Office Mojo.

A-list Cast and Epic Ambitions

On screen, we’ve got a robust ensemble—Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Robert Pattinson—leading Nolan’s grounded take on Homer’s Greek epic. Odd bit of trivia: Nolan nearly tackled similar source material over twenty years ago but abandoned a planned stab at Troy for Batman Begins instead. Judging by the numbers, it seems patience was the better play—The Odyssey has already done nearly triple what Troy managed globally.

• $539 million US box office
• $907 million international takings
• $250 million production budget
• Certified Fresh 94% critics on Rotten Tomatoes
• Verified Hot 97% audience score

And it’s not as if Nolan had the market to himself—Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been snapping at his heels the whole time. But, in a twist, the rivalry’s only made things hotter; rather than cannibalising each other, both seem to have benefitted. The Odyssey hasn’t left critics or audiences cold either, with Rotten Tomatoes consensus firmly praising Nolan’s vision and ambition.

The thing’s a financial juggernaut too, now returning over five times its production outlay, which no doubt has Universal Pictures crowing. Oscar talk is already swirling, and honestly, it’d be a surprise at this point if it didn’t end up with something shiny on the mantelpiece.