Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ claims top spot at South Korea box office

Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" has claimed the top position at the South Korean weekend box office, dethroning "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" from its lead, according to data released by the Korean Film Council.

The Hollywood epic, which opened on Wednesday, added 1,333,437 admissions over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to 1,874,731 as of Sunday. The film follows Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of Ithaca portrayed by Matt Damon, as he navigates a perilous journey home following the Trojan War. Its ensemble cast includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron and Zendaya.

Meanwhile, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" drew 1,264,531 admissions over the same weekend period, bringing its total to 5,911,933. The Spider-Man sequel surpassed 6 million admissions on its 13th day of release, according to Sony Pictures, positioning it as the second most-watched film in South Korea this year and overtaking the zombie thriller "Colony." The historical drama "The King's Warden" remains the year's most-watched film with 16.9 million admissions.

Two other titles rounded out the top five: the Korean animated film "Heartsping Of Love 2: The Legend of the Whale Jewel" placed third with 289,451 weekend admissions, whilst the alien epic "Hope" followed with 100,889.

Ticket presale data suggests "The Odyssey" is positioned for a sustained run. As of Monday morning, the film accounted for 63.5 per cent of presales, compared to "Spider-Man: Brand New Day's" 21.2 per cent. The disparity points to strong audience appetite for Nolan's adaptation of Homer's classical narrative, particularly among South Korean cinema-goers who have shown consistent enthusiasm for large-scale international productions in recent months.