The Odyssey Box Office Sets Huge Record That Hasn't Happened In 9 Years

Published Sep 26, 2026, 9:45 AM EDT

Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head.

The Odyssey has teamed up with some of the biggest hits of the year to accomplish a huge record.

2026's The Odyssey, which is a new adaptation of Homer's epic poem that was written and directed by Christopher Nolan, is an all-time hit. Its theatrical run, which is currently beginning its 11th weekend, has seen it zooming past $1.5 billion, becoming the highest-grossing Universal release in history, Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing movie ever (both unadjusted and adjusted for inflation), the highest-grossing movie in IMAX theaters by an enormous margin (partially thanks to its reputation as the first movie shot entirely on IMAX film cameras), and the 11th highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide.

The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus opposite an ensemble cast that includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Eliot Page, John Leguizamo, and Samantha Morton.

Per Variety, The Odyssey's untold success has helped push Universal to an overall worldwide gross of $5 billion for the year so far, in tandem with huge hits from the studio including the Michael Jackson biopic Michael ($1.021 billion worldwide - Universal's 10th highest-grossing movie ever) and the animated sequel The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($1.012 billion - Universal's 11th highest-grossing movie), as well as the runaway horror hit Obsession (which grossed $519 million against a budget of less than $1 million, making it the highest-grossing horror movie of the year).

This makes Universal the first studio to hit the $5 billion global milestone this year, in addition to marking the third time that it has ever earned $5 billion worldwide in a single year. The most recent time it did this was nine years ago, in 2017 (thanks to movies like The Fate of the Furious, Fifty Shades Darker, Split, and Despicable Me 3). The first time it did so was just two years earlier, in 2015 (off the back of Furious 7, Fifty Shades of Grey, Pitch Perfect 2, Jurassic World, and Minions).

While the Despicable Me movie Minions & Monsters did debut this year (and ultimately underperform), 2026 did not see Universal supported by new installments from the Jurassic Park franchise, the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, or the Fast and Furious franchise. Instead, they were largely driven by original hits and splashy adaptations that weren't part of major film franchises. By hitting this milestone so early in the year, there are also plenty of movies that could help push its global tally even higher.

Below, see the schedule of upcoming major Universal releases for 2026 (including movies from their brands Focus Features, Blumhouse Atomic Monster, and DreamWorks):

Title	Release Date
Other Mommy	October 9
Sense & Sensibility	October 16
Focker-in-Law	November 25
Violent Night 2	December 4
Werwulf	December 25

While their upcoming movies aren't necessarily surefire hits, they all have the potential to connect with audiences in a major way. Other Mommy is a buzzy horror movie from Blumhouse Atomic Monster, just like Obsession, Focker-in-Law is the latest installment in a series with three movies that have so far all grossed more than $300 million worldwide, and Violent Night 2 is a sequel to a $76 million action-comedy.

Meanwhile, Robert Eggers' Werwulf is his first horror movie after Nosferatu earned $182 million worldwide, while the Jane Austen adaptation Sense & Sensibility is the first theatrical version of that novel since the 1995 adaptation grossed $135 million. While these movies may not gross $1 billion collectively and push Universal past $6 billion, their power could combine with the ongoing runs of The Odyssey and DreamWorks' Forgotten Island to help the studio maintain its current lead.

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