Christopher Nolan's blockbuster "The Odyssey" has passed $1 billion in worldwide box office receipts in just three weeks, according to Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
The film also set an IMAX record, becoming the most successful release in the format's history with $257 million in ticket sales. Tickets sold out a year before the premiere despite high prices.
Nolan's third billion-dollar film
"The Odyssey" is Nolan's third film to reach $1 billion, following "The Dark Knight" and "Tenet," and is on track to become the highest-grossing movie of his career. Its opening weekend brought in more than $254 million, the best of any Nolan film.
The report attributes the success to Nolan's reputation, the film's technical uniqueness and favorable market conditions. It notes the IMAX-focused release strategy drew audiences who wanted to see the film as intended, and that the star cast, including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya and Anne Hathaway, along with controversy over the casting of a Black actress as Helen of Troy and a materialist take on Greek mythology, fueled word of mouth.
Markets still to come
A significant share of the film's box office is still ahead, as it opens in China and Japan in mid-August and September, respectively.
