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 year with 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.
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. 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.
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