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Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey has achieved a major box office milestone that no film has matched in nearly two decades. The latest achievement puts the director’s epic in rare company at the worldwide box office.

According to Deadlinethe Homeric adaptation has grossed $1 billion at the international box office, not counting $570 million domestically. That marks Nolan’s highest-grossing film to date and makes it the 17th title in cinema history to cross the $1 billion overseas mark. But one detail about this milestone sets it apart from nearly every other film on that list.

Universal Pictures International’s president of distribution, Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, credited the achievement to the film’s staying power. “From its record-breaking opening to this historic milestone, The Odyssey has captivated audiences around the world,” she said.

Why The Odyssey’s latest box office record is an anomaly

What makes this billion-dollar mark remarkable isn’t just the number itself. Such collections are largely dominated by established franchises. Sequels, remakes, and other familiar properties have frequently driven the biggest box office successes.

The Odyssey stands out as the first Hollywood film to hit the new mark without being a sequel or remake. The last movie to pull off the same feat was James Cameron‘s Avatar, which crossed $1 billion at the global box office in 2009. That 17-year gap highlights how rare it is for an original story to reach this level without franchise backing.

Nolan’s film has shattered multiple records. It became the highest-grossing R-rated movie, beating Deadpool & Wolverine. It also delivered Nolan’s biggest international opening, earning $264 million in its first three days of theatrical release.

The movie generated over $457 million at the worldwide IMAX box office, marking the highest-grossing IMAX run of all time.

News’s Jonathan Sim review of The Odyssey reads: “Grand, emotional, visually staggering, and relentlessly immersive, The Odyssey delivers the kind of cinematic spectacle that reminds audiences why movies are meant to be experienced in theaters. It is an extraordinary achievement that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible.”