'The Odyssey' braves Spider-Man blitz to cross $1b at box office, beats 'The Dark Knight' lifetime haul

"The Odyssey", Cristopher Nolan's epic adaptation of Homer's Greek poem, has hit $1 billion in box-office earnings.

The Matt Damon-starrer breached the mark in three weeks, despite being hit by the avalanche that is "Spider-Man: No Way Home", the biggest-opening film in American history. "The Odyssey" is now on course to surpass the lifetime collections of "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises", Nolan's highest-grossing films.

"The Odyssey" hits $1 billion at the box office

After concluding three weeks in theatres, "The Odyssey" has now earned $429.6 million in North America and $578.8 million overseas. This gives the film a worldwide haul of $1.009 billion. This has enabled the film to surpass the lifetime box office of Nolan's 2008 blockbuster "The Dark Knight", which earned $1.008 billion. "The Odyssey" is now on course to become the filmmaker's highest-grossing film ever. It needs just $73 million to beat "The Dark Knight Rises"' mark of $1.081 billion. Trade sources estimate that it should reach that mark by the end of its fourth weekend.

"The Odyssey" braves the Spider-Man storm

"The Odyssey" had a stupendous start at the box office, crossing $500 million worldwide in its opening week, followed by a strong hold in its second week. By the time its first major competition arrived in the form of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day", the epic had already earned over $800 million worldwide. However, "Brand New Day"'s whirlwind opening week of $1.2 billion meant that "The Odyssey"collections were hit. The film grossed $51 million in its third weekend in North America, down from $90 million the prior weekend. It also suffered overseas as "Spider-Man" took a lion's share of the overseas screens. However, "The Odyssey" IMAX monopoly has kept it afloat.

All about "The Odyssey"

Based on Homer's epic, "The Odyssey" stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, on a perilous ten-year journey back home after the Trojan War. The film also stars Anne Hathaway as his wife, Penelope, and Tom Holland as his son, Telemachus, along with Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, and Zendaya in key roles. The film has received universal critical acclaim, with praise for the scale, practical effects, and themes of redemption. There has been particular praise for the performances of Robert Pattinson and Samantha Morton. "The Odyssey" is already being pegged to dominate at next year's Oscars.