The Odyssey: Christopher Nolan's Epic Becomes Universal Pictures' Most Successful Film
The summer blockbuster dethrones the previous record-holder Jurassic World
One record after another: Christopher Nolan's "Odyssey" is on the verge of reaching yet another milestone—and it's a major one. This weekend, the blockbuster will become Universal Pictures' most commercially successful film worldwide! This means it will dethrone the previous record-holder, "Jurassic World".
The current box office total for The Odyssey
According to Universal, "The Odyssey" will have grossed $1.68 billion worldwide by the end of the weekend on September 13. "Jurassic World" stands at $1.67 billion worldwide. This puts The Odyssey in twelfth place among the highest-grossing films of all time (worldwide).
A few weeks ago, the blockbuster had already become Christopher Nolan's most successful film, surpassing "The Dark Knight Rises." "The Odyssey" also surpassed "Deadpool & Wolverine" as the highest-grossing R-rated film.
So "The Odyssey" continues its triumphant run—and there's no end in sight. In fact, the film is likely to remain in the spotlight over the coming months as awards season gets underway. "The Odyssey" could be a strong contender for an Oscar in numerous categories, including the most prestigious one: Best Picture. From the ensemble cast, in addition to Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway, Samantha Morton or John Leguizamo could also be nominated.
But what exactly are the reasons behind the massive success of "The Odyssey"? Why are crowds around the world flocking to see this film adaptation of this ancient story? In a separate article, we took a closer look at this phenomenon.
Here's what The Odyssey is about
Following the end of the Trojan War, Odysseus (Matt Damon) and his men set sail for their long-awaited journey home to Ithaca. But what should have been a straightforward voyage turns into an arduous odyssey, far longer and more perilous than anyone could have imagined. Odysseus and his crew face a number of mythical challenges along the way, encountering a Cyclops, the sorceress Circe (Samantha Morton), and the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron).
Meanwhile, back home, stories circulate about Odysseus' triumph in Troy – but his fate remains unknown. His wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland) have been waiting in vain for many years for his return, which hardly anyone in Ithaca expects anymore. As a result, numerous suitors now compete for Penelope's hand, including the ambitious Antinous (Robert Pattinson). Determined to stop them, Telemachus eventually sets out on a journey of his own to find his father.
The film is based on Homer's epic poem, which is approximately 3,000 years old. Nolan serves not only as screenwriter and director but also as producer.
The Films of Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan has directed twelve feature films to date. His debut "Following" (1998), and his breakthrough film "Memento" (2000), established him as a director of sophisticated, non-linearly narrated stories. This was followed by "Insomnia" (2002) and the "Dark Knight" trilogy—from "Batman Begins" (2005) to "The Dark Knight" (2008) and "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012). In between, Nolan also directed the fan favorite "The Prestige."
This was followed by the blockbuster "Inception" (2010), the space epic "Interstellar" (2014), the war drama "Dunkirk" (2017), and the science-fiction thriller "Tenet" (2020). With "Oppenheimer" (2023), Nolan turned his attention to the story of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the development of the atomic bomb.
In the run-up to "The Odyssey," we asked the KinoCheck community in a survey about their favorite Christopher Nolan film. Here you'll find the ranking of the twelve films.
