'The Odyssey' Surpasses $1 Billion at the Global Box Office

According to exclusive information from Deadline, The Odyssey, by Christopher Nolan, has reached yet another historic milestone. The film surpassed the $1 billion mark at the international box office, becoming the 17th film to achieve this feat.

The achievement is even more remarkable for being the first original Hollywood feature film (not a sequel or a remake) to surpass the $1 billion mark overseas since Avatar (2009).

With its current international gross of $ 1.014 billion, Nolan’s production becomes his highest-grossing film worldwide, with $1.59 billion. The film, starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal, is also the highest-grossing film in IMAX history, with more than $457 million worldwide.

"From its record-breaking debut to this historic milestone, The Odyssey has captivated audiences around the world," said Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of distribution at Universal Pictures International. "We are incredibly proud to have partnered with Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, and everyone at Syncopy to share this visionary theatrical experience with audiences everywhere."

Everything you need to know about The Odyssey

Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is yet another adaptation of  Homer's classic heroic poem, a continuation of The Iliad that tells the story of Odysseus, trying for 10 years to return home to Ithaca after victory in the Trojan War. Enraged, the god of the seas, Poseidon, does everything he can to prevent him from returning to his wife, Penelope.

Matt Damon plays Odysseus. Anne Hathaway plays the character’s wife, Penelope. Meanwhile,  Tom Holland plays Telemachus, Ulysses’ son, with  Zendaya playing the goddess Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Benny Safdie as Agamemnon, and Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra — or Clitemnestra —, Agamemnon’s wife. 

The Odyssey is now playing in theaters.