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The Odyssey’ Is Now the Highest-Grossing R-Rated Film of All Time
Call it fate, but the car from Deadpool and Wolverine just beat Deadpool and Wolverine . Up until this week, the R-rated Marvel sequel from 2024 was the highest-grossing R-rated film ever , having grossed $1.34 billion worldwide. But this week, that number was topped by Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. It's now the highest-grossing R-rated film ever.
Which is funny because, in Deadpool and Wolverine, the title characters get into a huge fight in a Honda Odyssey. A fact I kind of forgot about until Ryan Reynolds posted the following video congratulating Nolan and his team.
Congratulations to the entire cast and crew of The Odyssey for becoming the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time. That is one helluva car. pic.twitter.com/s7QzTza21l
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) August 19, 2026
It's certainly odd that Deadpool and Wolverine has such a prominent running joke about Odysseys in it, only to have a movie called The Odyssey topple its most impressive record. But more so, it speaks to the universality of Homer's original story, which certainly informed Nolan's film and the public's reception to it. So it's all connected somehow. Maybe. We don't know.
Of course, now that The Odyssey has taken the title for highest-grossing R-rated film ever (one that Deadpool and Wolverine took from Todd Phillips' Joker , the only three R-rated movies to ever cross $1 billion), it's just a question of how high it can go. The Odyssey was still the number two movie at the box office this past weekend, its fifth, beating all new films, including The End of Oak Street . It may not stay that high for much longer, but every $3 or $4 million grossed just pushes it further ahead on the chart.
On a list of top-grossing worldwide movies of any rating, The Odyssey is now 23rd or 24th, with the top 20 clearly in its sights. It'll be a struggle to get there, though, as it would need almost another $100 million to crack the top 20.
Meanwhile, The Odyssey' s main competition, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is well beyond the top 20. It spits webs at the top 20. It's currently sitting around number 8, which still puts it about $800 million behind number one, the original Avatar . That record is unlikely to fall. But the all-time domestic record, $937 million held by Star Wars: The Force Awakens , feels slightly more attainable. Spidey's only got another $140 or so million to go, and a lot of calendar left.
Do you enjoy these kinds of records? Does the fact inflation plays such a huge role sour it all for you? And did you even put together that Odyssey/Deadpool and Wolverine connection? Let us know below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .
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