'The Odyssey' becomes most watched foreign film in Korea this year

Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" has become the most watched foreign film released in Korea this year, amassing more than 1 million admissions over the weekend, data showed Monday.

The summer blockbuster added some 1.06 million admissions over the weekend, bringing its total admissions to 8.86 million as of Sunday, according to the data released by the Korean Film Council, which compiles admissions from Friday through Sunday for its weekend chart.

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 is now the most watched foreign film released in Korea this year and ranks second among all films released in the country this year, after the Korean film "The King's Warden" at 16.9 million admissions.

"The Odyssey" appears to be on track to reach the 10 million-admissions milestone, with the film accounting for 65 percent of all film presales as of 8:10 a.m. Monday.

The Hollywood blockbuster "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" ranked No. 2 on the weekend chart, adding 250,447 admissions, raising its total admissions to 8.55 million.

The Korean family drama "The Journey to Gyeong-ju" came third, adding 124,963 admissions over the weekend, bringing its total admissions to 192,384, according to the data.

The film, released Wednesday, depicts a mother and her three daughters' journey to take revenge on the man who killed her youngest daughter.

Yonhap