Sir Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster epic The Odyssey has scooped another record by becoming the biggest R-rated movie of all time ahead of Ryan Reynolds’ superhero movie Deadpool and Wolverine.
Sir Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has become he biggest R-rated movie of all time.
The blockbuster – an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic – has scooped another record by becoming the first R-rated film to bring in $1.352 billion worldwide – smashing the previous total set by Ryan Reynolds’ 2024 superhero film Deadpool and Wolverine which made $1.338 billion.
Reynolds was among the first to congratulate the team behind The Odyssey on the achievement. In a post on X, he wrote: “Congratulations to the entire cast and crew of The Odyssey for becoming the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time. That is one helluva car.”
It comes after The Odyssey became the highest-grossing movie of Nolan’s career.
The blockbuster – starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson,Tom Holland, Charlize Theron and Zendaya – became the moviemaker’s most sccesful project ever when it hit the $1.104 billion mark worldwide.
The Odyssey surpassed the auteur’s previous record-holder The Dark Knight Rises – the Batman movie from 2012 – which earned $1.085 billion, while its 2008 predecessor The Dark Knight made $1.005 billion.
Nolan – who has also helmed movies such as Tenet and Interstellar – has now grossed over $7 billion globally with his filmography.
Jim Orr, president of domestic theatrical distribution at Universal Pictures, said: “Christopher Nolan has earned audiences’ trust by consistently delivering must-see theatrical events, and The Odyssey is him operating at the peak of his powers.
“Nolan’s epic film has been at the forefront of the culture, with audiences seeking out premium formats and repeat viewings for this once-in-a-lifetime cinematic journey.”
Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of distribution at Universal Pictures, hailed The Odyssey as “a global epic that has resonated with audiences everywhere with its massive scope and uncompromising vision”.
Despite the record-breaking box office feats, The Odyssey was recently panned by Emily Wilson – whose 2017 translation of the story served as a source of inspiration for the picture.
The classicist wrote in an essay for the London Review of Books: “I had hoped that Nolan’s affinity with these Homeric themes might push him to new creative heights, and enable him to conjure more believable characters.
“But The Odyssey features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality… the film’s version is too confused, its characters too underdeveloped, to deliver what it half-promises in terms of big ideas – although it is very good at conveying big bangs and big giants.”
Wilson added: “Nolan’s Odyssey lacks many of the elements that make the poem great. “It has nothing convincing to say about time, memory, history, war, or about the relationship between one warrior’s glorious return and the lives of his family, adversaries, comrades, friends and neighbours.
“It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal. None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible.”
However, Wilson did insist The Odyssey’s release in cinemas was “an event to celebrate”.
The Odyssey becomes biggest R-rated movie of all time
