‘The Odyssey’ unseats ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ to become the highest grossing R-rated movie at global box office

Universal has officially confirmed that The Odyssey has surpassed Deadpool & Wolverine to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time at the global box office, Deadline reported. The film has pulled in an impressive $1.352 billion worldwide, successfully unseating the previous record holder, which concluded its theatrical run in 2024 with a total of $1.33 billion. Ryan Reynolds, the star of Deadpool & Wolverine, shared the news on social media before the studio made the official announcement.

This milestone marks a massive achievement for director Christopher Nolan, as The Odyssey is now his highest-grossing movie ever at the global box office. It comfortably surpasses his previous personal best, which was 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises at $1.085 billion. The ensemble cast, featuring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, John Leguziamo, Tom Holland, Jon Bernthal, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron, clearly resonated with audiences around the world.

Looking at the numbers, The Odyssey is one of only five movies to cross the $1 billion threshold so far this year. It currently sits as the second highest-grossing movie worldwide year to date, trailing only the massive success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which reached $2.039 billion. Through Wednesday, the breakdown shows that the film earned $835.6 million from overseas markets and $516.3 million stateside.

Deadpool & Wolverine still maintains the record for the biggest global opening for an R-rated movie

While The Odyssey captured the overall crown, Deadpool & Wolverine still maintains the record for the biggest global opening for an R-rated movie with $444.7 million. That same film also holds the domestic record for an R-rated opening at $211.4 million.

The Odyssey kicked off its journey on July 17 at the North American box office and is now heading into its sixth weekend of release. It opened to a global total of $264.1 million, which stands as the biggest opening for a Nolan film, edging out the $249 million earned by The Dark Knight Rises. On the international front, its $139.6 million opening was also the director’s biggest ever, outperforming both Oppenheimer and The Dark Knight Rises in like-for-like markets.

Domestic performance was equally strong, with an opening of $123.5 million. This ranks as the third best opening for a Nolan film, sitting behind the numbers for The Dark Knight Rises at $160.8 million and The Dark Knight at $158.4 million.