Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has officially become the highest-grossing film in Universal Pictures' history, powered past $1.7 billion at the worldwide box office — and its run has helped push the studio across a landmark of its own.
According to Variety, Universal has crossed $5 billion globally for the third time in its history, helped by The Odyssey's box office performance. The studio is also the first to reach the milestone in 2026.
A record-breaking voyage
Directed by Nolan, The Odyssey follows the Greek hero Odysseus as he spends ten years trying to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. The film's worldwide gross has made it Universal's biggest release of all time, and it is ranked No. 10 among MPA films of all time internationally.
With this week's grosses, Universal-distributed films have collected $1.788 billion domestically and $3.218 billion internationally to date. That haul spans Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and Focus Features.
A billion-dollar club with Universal at the centre
Only five films have topped $1 billion worldwide this year, and three of them were distributed by Universal: The Odyssey, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Michael. The other two members of the 2026 billion-dollar club are Sony/Marvel's Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 5.
Michael, the film charting Michael Jackson's rise to global icon status, has grossed $1.028 billion worldwide. The Lionsgate movie, distributed internationally by Universal, surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody to become the highest-grossing music biopic and sailed past Oppenheimer to become the highest-grossing biopic overall.
Sources: The Odyssey's Box Office Helps Universal Hit Remarkable Milestone — SuperHeroHype | The Odyssey vs Oppenheimer Worldwide Box Office — Koimoi
According to Variety, Universal has crossed $5 billion globally for the third time in its history, helped by The Odyssey's box office performance. The studio is also the first to reach the milestone in 2026.
A record-breaking voyage
Directed by Nolan, The Odyssey follows the Greek hero Odysseus as he spends ten years trying to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. The film's worldwide gross has made it Universal's biggest release of all time, and it is ranked No. 10 among MPA films of all time internationally.
With this week's grosses, Universal-distributed films have collected $1.788 billion domestically and $3.218 billion internationally to date. That haul spans Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and Focus Features.
A billion-dollar club with Universal at the centre
Only five films have topped $1 billion worldwide this year, and three of them were distributed by Universal: The Odyssey, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Michael. The other two members of the 2026 billion-dollar club are Sony/Marvel's Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 5.
Michael, the film charting Michael Jackson's rise to global icon status, has grossed $1.028 billion worldwide. The Lionsgate movie, distributed internationally by Universal, surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody to become the highest-grossing music biopic and sailed past Oppenheimer to become the highest-grossing biopic overall.
Sources: The Odyssey's Box Office Helps Universal Hit Remarkable Milestone — SuperHeroHype | The Odyssey vs Oppenheimer Worldwide Box Office — Koimoi
