As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, Deadline has confirmed that, by the end of this weekend, The Odyssey will become Universal Pictures' highest-grossing movie ever at the worldwide box office with $1.684 billion.
That places it above the studio's previous record-holder, 2015's Jurassic World ($1.677 billion). The Odyssey has made $601.2 million domestically, and $1.083 billion internationally. That makes it the 12th highest-grossing film ever, and the third-biggest non-franchise release of all time.
The Odyssey is also filmmaker Christopher Nolan's biggest movie by a healthy margin, topping 2008's The Dark Knight ($1.085 billion worldwide).
Donna Langley, Chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, said today, "What Chris and Emma [Thomas] have created will go down as one of the most ambitious and brilliantly executed films in cinematic history. A generational event that galvanises moviegoing itself."
Elsewhere at the box office this weekend, Practical Magic 2 opened with $30 million, a solid result for a movie that cost roughly $75 million. It was well ahead of previous box office champ, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is in second place with $8.5 million.
The Odyssey is a close third with $8.1 million, while Coyote vs. ACME is holding up well with $6.3 million (taking its running total in the U.S. to $47.8 million). We're still waiting on international numbers, but it's been a strong weekend for each movie.
In terms of new releases, Runner opened with $6 million, but The Uprising—which quickly dropped its widely ridiculed The Rise of Robin Hood subtitle—has underwhelmed with a mere $3.1 million start.
"Matt Damon and Christopher Nolan join forces for a movie that blows every other modern blockbuster out of the water," we wrote in our review. "Breathtakingly epic, powerful, and pure spectacle, The Odyssey is simply magnificent."
Here are this weekend's CinemaScores. As you can see, Runner received the warmest response from audiences, and we've included our interview with director Scott Waugh and star Rodrigo Santoro below.