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Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has overtaken “Avatar: The Way of Water” in local-currency terms to become the highest-grossing international release in Korean box office history, with a cumulative KRW139.2 billion
($101.5 million) as of Oct. 11.
The Universal release now ranks as the top Hollywood title ever in the territory. Only two Korean films have earned more. Jang Hang-jun’s “The King’s Warden” took the all-time record this yearwith KRW153.2 billion ($111.7 million), while Lee Byeong-heon’s 2019 comedy “Extreme Job” sits just ahead of “The Odyssey” on KRW139.6 billion ($101.8 million).
Admissions for “The Odyssey” stand at 12 million, equivalent to about 24% of the country’s population. No other international film has passed 10 million admissions this year. “The Odyssey” also held the No. 1 spot for seven straight weekends, the longest such streak for an international title in Korea.
It is now Nolan’s biggest film in Korea, as well as the biggest Universal title there. It holds the Imax record too, a total that continues to grow as the film plays into its 10th week on the format’s screens. No film released in Korea has drawn more admissions on Imax and Dolby Cinema screens, and Imax shows sold out continuously through the fifth week of release, the longest run of sellouts on record.
The film crossed 10 million admissions in 33 days, faster than any non-franchise international title. It was the first international film carrying a 15+ rating to reach that level, and the first August release of any kind to do so. The result makes Nolan the first director with two non-franchise international films above 10 million admissions in Korea.
Demand built well before opening. “The Odyssey” posted the year’s highest advance ticket sales and led Korean presales for 43 consecutive days through Sept. 14, the longest such run this year. As of Sept. 13, it had been the top international film at the box office for 40 days in a row, also a record.
The Korean promotional tour set several post-pandemic marks. A Seoul press conference drew 209 members of the media, the biggest turnout for such a tour since the pandemic. A premiere event hosted by CGV attracted 32,411 applications, a 463-to-1 ratio and the highest participation the exhibitor has recorded for a Korea premiere. The visiting delegation made 11 appearances across Korean TV programs and online content, and the tour’s Cine21 Master Talk passed 1 million views, the most in the series’ history.
Jungkook of BTS, TXT’s Soobin and members of Riize were among the Korean stars who recommended the film of their own accord, fueling conversation on social media. Content created voluntarily by influencers and YouTubers generated an estimated KRW1.27 billion (about $1 million) in earned media value, while sales of books linked to “The Odyssey” rose 30-fold after release.
Nolan also became the first international film director to appear on Korea’s non-drama buzzworthiness chart, a ranking usually filled by local television personalities and entertainers. Each new batch of Imax tickets brought congestion on CGV’s servers, followed by fresh sellouts.
