Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Becomes Fastest Film to Reach 8 Million Admissions in South Korea This Year

SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" on Friday became the fastest film to surpass 8 million admissions in South Korea this year, its local distributor said.

The film has remained No. 1 at the box office for 24 days since its release on Aug. 5 and reached the 8 million mark two days earlier than "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The King's Warden," which both surpassed 8 million admissions on their 26th day of release, according to Universal Pictures.

Based on Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey," the film follows the perilous homecoming journey of Odysseus (Matt Damon), the Greek king of Ithaca, after winning the Trojan War. Its star-studded cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron and Zendaya.

The film currently ranks third among films released in South Korea this year in terms of total admissions and is expected to soon overtake "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," which had drawn about 8.3 million admissions as of Wednesday.

The film is also gaining momentum toward the 10 million-admission mark. As of 7 p.m. Friday, "The Odyssey" had an advance booking rate of 67.4 percent, with more than 556,000 advance ticket reservations.

It is the first film in history to be shot entirely with IMAX film cameras and has drawn audiences with its spectacular visuals and sound. IMAX screenings have been particularly popular, with ticket scalping becoming a problem.