‘The Odyssey Becomes the Highest-Grossing R-Rated Movie Ever

The Odyssey has reached the top of Mount Olympus, financially speaking.

As of this week, Christopher Nolan’s retelling of the ancient Greek epic poem is the highest-grossing R-rated movie in the history of Hollywood. Its $1.35 billion in worldwide ticket sales (and counting) places it slightly ahead of the previous record holder, Deadpool & Wolverine, which earned $1.33 billion in theaters back in 2024.

Gracious in defeat, Ryan Reynolds acknowledged Nolan and The Odyssey’s achievement with a social media post, writing “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.” The post include a video mashing the two movies together (including a fight scene set in a Honda Odyssey, hence Reynolds’ joke).

READ MORE: Every Christopher Nolan Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best 

Here is the full list of the highest-grossing R-rated movies in history (worldwide):

1. The Odyssey - $1.35 billion
2. Deadpool & Wolverine - $1.33 billion
3. Joker - $1.07 billion
4. Oppenheimer - $975 million
5. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle - $793.5 million
6. Deadpool 2 - $785.8 million
7. Deadpool - $782.8 million
8. The Matrix Reloaded - $741.8 million
9. It - $719.7 million
10. Detective Chinatown 3 - $686.2 million

The Odyssey is also Nolan’s highest-grossing movie ever, a particularly impressive feat in a career that includes The Dark Knight ($1 billion), The Dark Knight Rises ($1.1 billion), and Oppenheimer ($975.8 million).

The Odyssey stars a massive cast, including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, John Leguizamo, and Zendaya. It was also the first feature ever shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film cameras, and benefited greatly from the added revenue generated by the higher ticket prices for IMAX screenings.

Get our free mobile app