'Odyssey' draws over 290,000 on opening day, tops box office

Christopher Nolan's "Odyssey" drew more than 290,000 admissions on its opening day in South Korea, fueling expectations that it could become the country's next 10-million-admission film.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing system, "Odyssey" attracted 291,008 viewers on Wednesday — its first day in theaters — to claim the top spot at the domestic box office. Cumulative admissions stood at 293,726.

The opening-day figure surpasses that of "The King's Warden" (117,783), a domestic 10-million-admission hit, as well as "Goonche" (199,762), which generated buzz as the first collaboration between director Yeon Sang-ho and actor Jun Ji-hyun.

The number also dwarfs the opening-day tallies of Nolan's previous films released in South Korea: "Tenet" (137,740), "Inception" (149,246), "The Dark Knight" (165,380), "Dunkirk" (224,242) and "Interstellar" (227,025).

The film's momentum extends well beyond Korean theaters. According to Box Office Mojo, "Odyssey" opened in North America on July 17 and earned $264 million in global box office revenue in its opening weekend, setting a new opening record for a Nolan film. As of Wednesday — less than a month after its release — the film's worldwide cumulative gross has surpassed $900 million.

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day," which had been drawing strong crowds, slipped to second place on the same day with 273,994 admissions. Its cumulative total reached about 4.41 million.

Released on Tuesday, the film follows Peter Parker (Tom Holland), whose existence was erased from everyone's memory after the events of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021). Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously directed "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," helmed the film.

The animated film "Hatshuping: Legend of the Whale Gem" debuted at No. 3 on the same day with 73,032 admissions, bringing its cumulative total to 100,442. Na Hong-jin's "Hope" drew 29,925 viewers to finish fourth, with cumulative admissions of about 4.27 million.

"Odyssey" follows the decade-long journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, as he struggles to return home to his family after the Trojan War. The film stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya and Charlize Theron, and is directed by Christopher Nolan, whose previous credits include "Interstellar," "Dunkirk," "Tenet" and "Oppenheimer."