Universal Hits Landmark Box Office Milestone As The Odyssey Conquers Theaters

Published Aug 2, 2026, 2:11 PM EDT

Christopher Nolan has brought the epic ancient Greek poem attributed to Homer to life in a star-studded, action-packed, visually stunning adaptation. The Odyssey's cast includes Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, and more. Nolan's new blockbuster was created to be viewed in IMAX 70mm, causing a riot for fans to get their hands on a ticket to watch the movie the way the filmmaker intended.

In a new report by Deadline, Nolan's epic The Odyssey has pushed Universal to a huge milestone. Universal is now the first studio to cross $4 billion at the box office due to The Odyssey's global box office gross reaching $911 million. Disney was the first studio to cross $3 billion at the box office this year with titles such as Toy Story 5, Moana, and Hoppers, but Universal has officially taken the top spot with $4 billion.

Movies that have helped Universal achieve this incredible feat include The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the biopic Michael, and the surprising smash-hit Obsession. Only three movies this year have crossed $1 billion globally at the box office, and those are Michael and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, with Universal leading the global weekend box office for 10 weekends so far.

Both Focus Features and Universal account for the top five highest-grossing movies, and the success doesn't seem to be slowing down. Horror movie Obsession is Focus Features' highest-grossing movie ever worldwide, with a record-breaking $475 million gross on a budget of $750,000.

The North American marketplace has hit a record $428.99 million across its theaters at the box office, largely in credit thanks to Sony and Marvel Studios' latest release, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The last best weekend for theaters in North America was the iconic Barbie and Oppenheimer-fueled mania from July 21 to 23, with a $311.3 million weekend.

Rentrak Head of Marketplace Trends, Paul Dergarabedian told Deadline, "This now sets up a tremendous month of August, and the likelihood of a $4 billion summer and a $10 billion year just went up exponentially with this milestone summer weekend."

CEO of exhibition lobby org Cinema United, Michael O'Leary, also spoke about the record-breaking weekend and said, "Moviegoers across generations made this weekend one for the record books. Our industry is at its best when there is something for everyone to see on the big screen, and this year we are seeing what happens when the innovation and creativity on display in amazing movie theatres across the country and around the world is combined with a great slate of films."

The Odyssey is available to watch in theaters now.

Release Date July 15, 2026

Runtime 173 minutes