‘The Odyssey’ Takes the Box Office Crown From ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and Becomes the Biggest R-Rated Movie Ever, Trade Reports Say

A new release titled ‘The Odyssey’ has taken over the top spot in the U.S. box office and is now being described by The Hollywood Reporter as the biggest R-rated movie ever, surpassing the record previously held by ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’ The trade’s report, published on Aug. 20, 2026, frames the change as a shift in the latest mid-August theatrical battle between two high-profile Hollywood releases with very different tones and production profiles.

The Hollywood Reporter said ‘The Odyssey’ beat ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ to reclaim the number-one position and, in doing so, became the largest R-rated title in the category’s history. The report also characterizes the competing hit as the studio’s latest major franchise effort, noting its ongoing visibility even as audience pull moved toward the new film.

In the same report, The Hollywood Reporter included a social-media style remark from Ryan Reynolds, whose Marvel Studios film is referenced in the article. Reynolds’ comment in the trade describes a standout line about a vehicle, appearing as a brief piece of character-to-character banter in the larger release campaign surrounding ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’ The exchange underscores how major R-rated titles continue to rely on brand recognition and audience familiarity even when they are no longer leading the chart.

Alongside the ‘The Odyssey’ milestone, The Hollywood Reporter’s report also links the moment to a wider theatrical picture, describing the rival success as coming at a time when “a Christopher Nolan epic” was previously associated with the overall box office title. The trade’s wording places the new R-rated record within an environment where adult-audience films can still compete for the largest weekly attention even when broad-appeal releases hold visibility.

Because the current report does not list specific dollar totals or exact comparisons in the material presented here, the announcement should be treated as a trade-stated category record rather than a fully quantified breakdown. However, the reporting is clear on the direction of the outcome: ‘The Odyssey’ is credited with both regaining the top weekend position and setting a new high-water mark for R-rated films.

For theater operators and film distributors, the ranking change matters for marketing and scheduling decisions, particularly for R-rated films that can be more sensitive to audience availability and ratings-day audience behavior. A record-setting label typically affects how exhibitors and advertisers frame showtimes, and it can influence how long a film remains in peak screens before attention shifts.

For audiences, the immediate practical effect is that adults seeking R-rated releases now have a new title associated with the category’s top performance, even as ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ remains a prominent franchise entry in the same competitive window. The report suggests that campaigns and public conversation will likely shift accordingly as ‘The Odyssey’ becomes the most visible adult-audience theatrical standout.

The next milestone for the ‘The Odyssey’ run will be continued confirmation of the record as more weekly grosses roll in and as industry trackers update final tallies for the category. Until additional totals and comparative figures are published by the same tracking services referenced by industry outlets, the central takeaway remains the trade-reported leadership and R-rated record status.