'The Odyssey' tops weekend box office for fifth week

Christopher Nolan’s adventure-packed epic “The Odyssey” reigned on the weekend box office chart for the fifth straight week and exceeded 10 million admissions, data showed on Monday.

The film added 698,395 admissions over the weekend, bringing its total admissions to 10,027,997 as of Sunday, according to data released by the Korean Film Council (Kofic), 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, the Greek king of Ithaca, played by Matt Damon, after winning the Trojan War. Its star-studded cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron and Zendaya.

It is now the second most watched film in Korea this year and the 10th foreign film ever to surpass 10 million admissions in the country.

U.S. films also ranked second and third, with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” adding 146,678 admissions and the low-budget horror hit “Obsession” attracting 138,442 admissions on its first weekend since release.

The Korean film “Road to Gyeongju” ranked No. 4, adding 49,417 admissions, followed by the Korean family drama “Portrait of a Family,” which attracted 40,840 admissions on its debut weekend.

“The Odyssey” appeared ready to extend its chart-topping run this week, with it accounting for 45.4 percent of ticket presales as of 9 a.m. on Monday, according to Kofic data.

Upcoming Korean films “The Assassin(s)” and “The Intern” came next, accounting for 11.5 percent and 11 percent, respectively, of all advance ticket sales.

Yonhap