Fez — Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has officially become the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history after reaching $1.352 billion (MAD 12.5 billion) worldwide.
Variety reported that the Universal Pictures epic had passed the previous record held by Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The 2024 superhero film ended its theatrical run with approximately $1.338 billion (MAD 12.37 billion).
The movie opened with more than $264 million (MAD 2.44 billion) worldwide in its first weekend and continued showing unusually strong staying power through August.
Its only bigger competition this year is “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which has already crossed $2 billion (MAD 18.5 billion) globally. The film is still in theaters, meaning its worldwide box office total continues to climb. According to People, it has reached $1.352 billion globally.
The record refers to worldwide box-office grosses without adjusting historical films for inflation.
Nolan takes the R-rated crown
The record has changed hands quickly over the past several years.
“Joker” became the first R-rated movie ever to cross $1 billion worldwide in 2019. Guinness World Records records its achievement at more than $1.03 billion (MAD 9.57 billion).
“Deadpool & Wolverine” overtook “Joker” in 2024 before eventually reaching $1.338 billion.
Less than two years later, Nolan has taken the title with a nearly three-hour adaptation of Homer rather than an established superhero franchise.
“The Odyssey” is also now Nolan’s highest-grossing film ever, surpassing “The Dark Knight Rises,” which earned roughly $1.08 billion worldwide, earlier in August.
It has also moved far ahead of Nolan’s previous R-rated blockbuster “Oppenheimer,” which finished with approximately $975 million (MAD 9.02 billion).
The Motion Picture Association gave “The Odyssey” an R rating for violence and some language. The Numbers lists the film with a $250 million (MAD 2.31 billion) production budget and a 172-minute runtime.
Morocco helped build Nolan’s ancient world
The record also carries a Moroccan connection.
Nolan shot several key sequences of “The Odyssey” in Morocco, including scenes at Aït Benhaddou near Ouarzazate, which was transformed into the ancient city of Troy.
People reported that Essaouira also hosted a massive Trojan Horse sequence featuring thousands of extras. Production also took place across Greece, Italy, Iceland, and Scotland.
Ryan Reynolds also acknowledged losing the R-rated record, congratulating Nolan and the film’s cast and crew through a humorous social media tribute.
