'The Odyssey' surpasses 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' to become top-grossing foreign film of 2026

Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" has overtaken "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" — which opened a week earlier — to become the highest-grossing foreign film released in South Korea this year.

Distributor Universal Pictures said Sunday that cumulative admissions for "The Odyssey" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" stood at approximately 8.471 million and 8.454 million, respectively, as of 7 a.m. that day. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" opened July 29, while "The Odyssey" arrived in theaters a week later on Aug. 5.

Both films have led the second-half foreign box office, but "The Odyssey" — the later arrival — has drawn audiences at a faster pace. It crossed the 8 million admissions mark on Friday, its 24th day in release, two days ahead of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," which reached the same milestone on its 26th day, Sunday. The feat also makes "The Odyssey" the fastest film released this year to reach 8 million admissions.

The film is based on the ancient Greek epic poem by Homer, following the hero Odysseus (played by Matt Damon) on his decade-long journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. It is Nolan's first feature since "Oppenheimer" (2023) and stars Damon alongside Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya.

The film shows no signs of slowing down. "The Odyssey" has held the No. 1 spot in advance ticket sales for 28 consecutive days — from Aug. 3, two days before its opening, through Sunday — and has topped the box office for 25 consecutive days since its release.

The prospect of the film joining the ranks of 10-million-admission films is growing. Should "The Odyssey" cross that threshold, it would become the second such film among this year's releases, after director Jang Hang-jun's "The King's Warden," and the first foreign film of the year to achieve the milestone.