Christopher Nolan’s film "The Odyssey" became the second movie this year in
Korea to draw more than 10 million viewers.
As of September 6, 2026, this film became the second movie to reach this
milestone, following 『The Man Who Lives with the King』, which had already
drawn more than 10 million viewers in South Korea, and the first foreign
film in four years since 『Avatar – The Way of Water〉 to surpass 10 million
viewers.
So today, I’d like to share a few thoughts on the secret behind Odyssey’s
explosive box office success in Korea.
Public evaluation of the popularity of Odyssey 🎞
Various media outlets and communities talk about why Odyssey succeeded at
the box office in Korea as if there had been an unspoken agreement, saying
the following.
- Because it’s an IMAX film shoot
- A film starring many stars including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya Coleman, Charlize Theron, and Lupita Nyong'o
- A film by director Christopher Nolan, popular among Koreans
- The Power of Powerful Stories
However, aside from the fact that this is the first IMAX film released in a
long time, this assessment could seem like an attempt to forcibly explain
why this film was especially popular in Korea.
Is the secret to this film’s box-office success simply because it consists
only of popular directors and actors?
This seems to stem from a failure to understand how Odyssey resonated with
Korean fans.
Korean fans responding to the familiar and grand narrative 🎞
The film was released in IMAX, and while being one of Christopher Nolan’s
highly anticipated works may have contributed to its box office success to
some extent, it does not fully explain why it is more popular in Korea on
its own.
Therefore, we should examine, as follows, the special perceptions and
preferences Korean fans have of blockbusters.
- Expectations based on the director’s evaluation of previous works
- Not a clichéd Marvel-style hero, but the story of a tormented, narrative hero
- The hope that a story so familiar to us will appear in a film
Case 1 🎬
When a highly anticipated film is announced, it is only natural for fans to
become interested in the film’s subject, cast, and director.
This point is even more sensitive to Korean fans who conduct thorough
preliminary research before writing critiques or reviews.
For example, whenever a new title like 『The Man Who Lives with the King』
or 『Hope』 comes out,,
The key point is that the question, “What works did the directors of this
work direct before, and how were those works evaluated?” becomes the
standard for judging newly emerged works.
Regarding this,,
Considering how Christopher Nolan’s films, especially Interstellar, were hugely popular in Korea, it is clear that these elements had a distinctly positive impact on the box-office phenomenon of The odyssey.
Case 2 🎬
Korean audiences first distinguish between entertainment films simply for
passing time and works that offer a certain degree of catharsis, and then
evaluate how well they meet those expectations.
Korean fans are really tired of mass-produced fictional superhero shows
like the Marvel series.
Of course, it may be able to maintain a certain level of commercial success
purely on entertainment value, but that cannot be said to be the whole
story.
Case 3 🎬
However, works such as 『The Man Who Lives with the King』 and 『Admiral Yi
Sun-sin Series』 have been reborn through the director’s outstanding
direction and fresh interpretation, becoming very familiar and profound
works, and are beloved by Korean fans.
For Koreans, the Odyssey has been at the heart of the best-selling book
Greek and Roman Mythology since childhood, and it is a beloved story
alongside Andersen’s fairy tale series
Although it is a Western classic, this work has long been established as a
bestseller among Koreans and is often known as “Homer’s epic.”
The anticipation for a film that brought such a familiar yet grand story to
the screen perfectly matched Korean tastes, and this was the driving force
behind the “Odyssey Syndrome” in Korea.
conclusion 🎥
Even a familiar story can change completely depending on its
direction.
- Unlike the superhero movies in the Marvel series, Odyssey has high expectations for the director,
- A familiar and dazzling cast made up of actors beloved by Koreans,
- A grand narrative vividly brought to life in IMAX,
- As a bonus, the universal feeling of “to my hometown where my family is!” is also valid
Combined with these elements, Odyssey achieved great commercial success in
Korea.
Because masterpieces do not try to test the audience..
