THE APEX TIMES
‘The Odyssey’ Becomes Highest-Grossing R-Rated Film in Global Box Office History, Surpassing ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
Universal’s ‘The Odyssey’ has overtaken ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ to set a new global record for an R-rated movie, reaching $1.352 billion worldwide, according to box office reporting released Monday.
Universal’s The Odyssey has become the highest-grossing R-rated movie in global box office history, ending the worldwide run of Deadpool & Wolverine as the previous record holder, Deadline reported on Aug. 20.
According to the industry tracking cited by Deadline, The Odyssey has reached $1.352 billion worldwide, unseating Deadpool & Wolverine, which finished its global run at $1.33 billion. Deadline characterized the milestone as an industry accounting record for R-rated films at the global level.
Deadline also reported that Ryan Reynolds, a star of Deadpool & Wolverine, appeared to acknowledge the outcome on social media before Universal officially confirmed it. The report did not cite additional verification beyond the box office tallies and the studio record announcement.
The Odyssey is released by Universal, and the record positions the film at the top of a narrow box office category defined by rating classification. While the R-rated ceiling has often constrained audience reach compared with more broadly rated releases, the new benchmark underscores the market demand for adult-audience films when they attract large international followings, Deadline noted.
The new figure arrives as major theatrical releases continue to be evaluated not only by domestic performance but also by worldwide grosses, which are frequently used by studios to gauge return on marketing and distribution spending across territories.
In addition to setting a franchise and genre benchmark, the shift in the R-rated global record changes how industry participants cite the relative performance of studios’ adult-oriented releases. The metric can affect internal planning, public marketing narratives, and how trade press frames subsequent projects in similar rating categories.
No further details about the specific territory breakdown, accounting conventions, or the exact date the record was reached were included in Deadline’s report, and readers will likely see additional confirmation as box office tracking systems update final totals.
Universal and representatives for the films were not described in the report beyond the studio’s role in making the record official, according to Deadline’s account of the timeline and the headline numbers.
Why It Matters
- The new global record changes the reference point for what constitutes top performance among R-rated releases at the international level.
- The milestone may influence how studios and distributors evaluate the commercial ceiling for adult-audience films when planning future releases and marketing strategies.
- The change affects trade and public reporting that uses global grosses to compare films across ratings and territories.
- The development also shifts which title is cited as the category leader, which can carry knock-on effects for brand positioning and audience expectations around adult-rated projects.
Key Facts
- Deadline reported that Universal’s The Odyssey reached $1.352 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing R-rated film at the global box office.
- Deadline reported that Deadpool & Wolverine finished its worldwide run at $1.33 billion, making it the prior global R-rated record holder.
- The record was reported as officially confirmed by Universal following Deadline’s publication.
- Deadline reported that Ryan Reynolds disclosed the development on social media before Universal made the record official.
- Deadline framed the achievement as an industry-wide box office accounting benchmark for R-rated films.