Nolan achieves second 10-million-admission film in Korea, 12 years after 'Interstellar'

Still drawing 100,000 viewers on weekdays in its 5th week; IMAX screenings remain sold out

Industry eyes whether film can surpass 'Infinity War' to crack all-time top 5

A promotional image for the film "Odyssey" [Universal Pictures]
A promotional image for the film "Odyssey" [Universal Pictures]

Christopher Nolan's "Odyssey" has crossed the 10-million-admission mark in South Korea, becoming only the 10th foreign film ever to reach the milestone in the country.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing system, cumulative admissions for "Odyssey" surpassed 10 million as of 4 p.m. Sunday. The film held the No. 1 spot at the box office every single day since its opening, and on its 33rd day in theaters it cleared the threshold, cementing what industry observers have called a phenomenon-level run.

The nine foreign films that previously reached 10 million admissions in South Korea are "Avengers: Endgame" — the all-time leader at about 13.93 million — along with "Frozen 2," "Avatar," "Aladdin," "Avengers: Infinity War," "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Avengers: Age of Ultron," "Interstellar" and "Frozen."

For Nolan, the achievement marks his second 10-million-admission film in Korea, 12 years after "Interstellar" in 2014. He becomes the fourth director to claim that double distinction domestically, joining the Russo brothers ("Avengers" series), James Cameron ("Avatar" series) and Chris Buck ("Frozen" series).

"Odyssey" drew about 290,000 viewers on its opening day, Aug. 5, surpassing the opening-day totals of all of Nolan's previous films in Korea. Over its first three-day weekend it attracted about 1.33 million admissions, signaling the start of a major run.

The momentum only accelerated from there. The film crossed 1 million admissions within four days of opening and 2 million within six — six days faster than both this year's top Korean box-office hit "The King's Warden" and Nolan's previous film "Oppenheimer."

A promotional display for "Odyssey" is installed at a movie theater in Seoul. (Yun Chang-bin)
A promotional display for "Odyssey" is installed at a movie theater in Seoul. (Yun Chang-bin)

"Odyssey" then surpassed 3 million admissions within 10 days of opening, 4 million within 12 days and 5 million within 13 days. After crossing 6 million on its 21st day, it raced to 9 million in under a week — making it only the second foreign film since the pandemic to reach that mark, after "Avatar: The Way of Water."

What stands out about the film's run is the staying power it has shown well into its fifth week. It consistently draws 100,000 viewers on weekdays, and seats for IMAX and other premium-format screenings remain scarce.

The key question now is how far the run can extend. With several anticipated Korean releases — including "The Intern," "Assassin(s)" and "Tajja: Song of Belzebub" — set to open ahead of the Chuseok holiday, the film's box-office curve is likely to flatten somewhat.

Industry insiders widely expect "Odyssey" to surpass "Avengers: Infinity War," the fifth-highest-grossing foreign film in Korean box-office history at about 11.21 million admissions, and crack the all-time top five. More optimistic forecasts suggest it could push past 13 million and threaten the third-place record held by "Avatar" at about 13.62 million.

"It looks likely that 'Odyssey' will keep generating buzz at least through Chuseok," one industry insider said. "How well it maintains its pace through the holiday will be the deciding factor. I think 13 million is within reach."


balme@heraldcorp.com