Jon Bernthal has been no stranger to appearing in major franchises throughout the years. Ever since he brought Shane Walsh to life in the first two seasons of AMC's hit show The Walking Dead, the beloved actor has collected roles as if they were Infinity Stones. More recently, he brought his iteration of the Punisher to the big screen courtesy of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and also went on to star in a major Christopher Nolan movie, The Odyssey.
Nolan's Greek epic tells the story of Odysseus (Matt Damon), the King of Ithaca, who embarks on a ten-year journey to return home after the end of the Trojan War. Along the way, he comes across no shortage of horrors and monsters that push him to the brink of death. Jon Bernthal portrays the role of King Menelaus of Sparta, one of the soldiers present in the war who eventually helps Odysseus' son Telemachus (Tom Holland) get closer to finding the truth about what happened to his father.
While the tides didn't favor Odysseus in his return home, they certainly have been swaying The Odyssey to unprecedented horizons. The acclaimed blockbuster has been breaking multiple box-office records, and now it has officially surpassed a major milestone.
The Odyssey surpassed $1 billion at the box office and is set on track to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever
On Aug. 6, 2026, The Odyssey officially surpassed the $1 billion mark at the box office, becoming Nolan's highest-grossing non-Batman movie along the way. Currently, it is the fifth-biggest movie of 2026 behind The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Michael, Toy Story 5, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. However, Nolan's latest project is expected to jump to the second position on that list by the end of its theatrical run, as it is on track to gross a total of $1.4 to $1.5 billion.
The Odyssey is also set to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. For reference, here are the top 10 biggest R-rated films ever created, and where the latest Greek epic would rank among them:
- The Odyssey - $1.4 to $1.5 billion (projected)
- Deadpool & Wolverine - $1.338 billion
- Joker - $1.07 billion
- Oppenheimer - $975 million
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle - $793 million
- Deadpool 2Â - $785 million
- Deadpool - $782 million
- The Matrix Reloaded - $741 million
- It - $719 million
- Detective Chinatown 3Â - $686 million
It's important to take into consideration that The Odyssey has yet to be released in major markets such as China and Japan, and it has just arrived in theaters across Korea. Furthermore, Variety reports that IMAX plans to dedicate most of its screens across China to Nolan's latest project, which is bound to give the film a major box-office bump.
What makes The Odyssey's success all the more impressive is that it isn't part of a sequel or a pre-existing franchise, like most of the other highest-grossing R-rated films. Oppenheimer is the only completely "original" entry on the list, while both It and The Odyssey act as adaptations without a pre-existing sequel. Even then, Nolan's latest film has a big advantage over these other two projects.
An analysis by Forbes revealed that The Odyssey had a break-even point of somewhere between $625 and $750 million, meaning the film has recovered its production and marketing costs and is now profitable. By the end of its run, it will likely double its initial investment, becoming a huge hit for Universal Pictures.
Currently, the highest-grossing Christopher Nolan film is The Dark Knight Rises at $1.085 billion, which means The Odyssey is bound to surpass it. This is a huge accomplishment for the cast and crew involved in bringing this adventure to life, including Jon Bernthal, Zendaya, and Tom Holland, all of whom also star in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is tracking to surpass the $2 billion mark in its second weekend alone.
The future is looking bright for cinemas, and projects like Dune: Part III and Avengers: Doomsday will only make 2026 all the more memorable.
The Odyssey is now playing in theaters.
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