'Odyssey' surpasses 12 million admissions, climbs to No. 19 all-time at Korean box office

Christopher Nolan's epic "Odyssey" has surpassed 12 million admissions in South Korea, vaulting to No. 19 on the all-time domestic box office chart.

As of Monday morning, the film had drawn a cumulative audience of about 12.03 million, according to Universal Pictures and the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing database.

The milestone pushed "Odyssey" past "Exhuma" (2024, about 11.91 million) and "Train to Busan" (2016, about 11.57 million) to claim the No. 19 spot on the all-time chart.

Among foreign films ever released in South Korea, "Odyssey" now ranks fifth, trailing "Avengers: Endgame" (2019, about 13.97 million), "Frozen 2" (2019, about 13.76 million), "Avatar" (2009, about 13.62 million) and "Aladdin" (2019, about 12.79 million). It has overtaken Nolan's own previous best, "Interstellar" (2014, about 10.34 million), as well as global blockbusters "Avengers: Infinity War" (about 11.23 million) and "Avatar: The Way of Water" (about 10.8 million).

"Odyssey" opened Aug. 5 and crossed the 10 million mark on Sept. 6 — its 33rd day in theaters. It then consistently added roughly 2 million more admissions over the following 29 days to reach the 12 million milestone on its 62nd day of release.

The film's trajectory stands apart from blockbusters that dominate screens early and burn bright before fading fast. All-time No. 1 "Roaring Currents" peaked in 15 days and "Avengers: Endgame" in 17, yet "Odyssey" is still ranking at the top of advance ticket sales as it enters its ninth week in theaters.

"Odyssey" adapts Homer's ancient Greek epic poem for the screen, shot on IMAX 70mm film cameras. The film's overwhelming sense of scale and spectacle — drawn from the classical source material — has kept audiences returning to movie theaters.

A heavyweight ensemble cast featuring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson has also been a key driver of its box office success.

Immediately ahead of "Odyssey" on the all-time chart sit No. 17 "A Taxi Driver" (2017, about 12.18 million) and No. 16 "Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds" (2018, about 12.27 million). The gap between "Odyssey" and "A Taxi Driver" stands at roughly 160,000 admissions.