Studios will begin clearing the runway for director Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey in July — the filmmaker’s contract reportedly forbids a major release from Universal in the run-up to and in the aftermath of The Odyssey‘s debut. The epic is Nolan’s most ambitious film yet, and reportedly also his most expensive. He was already operating in a league of his own as far as creative freedom in Hollywood is concerned, but his Best Picture and Best Director wins at the Oscars a couple of years ago have pushed him into uncharted territory of creative leverage at this scale. The Odyssey reportedly comes with a $250 million production budget, with hundreds of millions committed to a globe-spanning promotional campaign. It is virtually impossible for the movie to underperform at the box office come July. But Nolan was recently hit with a rather ill-timed blow.
With mere weeks to go before The Odyssey‘s release, Nolan’s Oscar-winning Oppenheimer was overtaken at the domestic box office by the most controversial blockbuster of 2026. Oppenheimer, which was based on the life and times of the nuclear physicist who created the atomic bomb during World War II, emerged as the top-grossing biopic of all time during the course of its phenomenal box office run in 2023. It grossed around $320 million domestically and $975 million worldwide, against a reported budget of $100 million. The film has now been overtaken at the domestic box office by the Michael Jackson biopic, Michael.
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Here’s How Much ‘Michael’ Has Grossed in a Month and a Half at the Box Office
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Michael follows the iconic pop star’s early life and career, but stops short of addressing (or acknowledging) the many concerning allegations made against him. In its sixth weekend of release, when the market was dominated by Backrooms and Obsession, Michael moonwalked toward the $350 million milestone domestically. It has now grossed roughly $340 million stateside and nearly $850 million worldwide, against a budget that reportedly ballooned to $200 million because of production difficulties. Unlike the critically acclaimed and universally admired Oppenheimer, Michael has been more divisive. It holds a 38% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “While Jaafar Jackson’s smooth moves bring the King of Pop to uncanny life, this musical biopic mostly plays like a ‘greatest hits’ album that could’ve benefited from including liner notes to give actual insight into the icon.” However, the film’s “Verified Hot” 97% audience score should leave no room for doubt where the public stands on its portrayal of the King of Pop. A sequel is in the works. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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April 24, 2026
- Runtime
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130 minutes
- Writers
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John Logan
- Producers
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Graham King, John Branca, John McClain
















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