Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' tops 11 million admissions in 45 days, sixth foreign film ever

Mythic direction and overwhelming immersion fuel The Odyssey's 11 million-admission box office run

The ambitious 'The Odyssey' from acclaimed director 'Christopher Nolan' crossed 11 million admissions on its 45th day in theaters, March 18, setting a new benchmark for sustained box office success.

According to distributor 'Universal Pictures', 'The Odyssey' became the sixth foreign film ever released in South Korea to surpass 11 million admissions. It follows 'Avengers: Endgame' (13.93 million), 'Frozen 2' (13.74 million), 'Avatar' (13.62 million), 'Aladdin' (12.55 million) and 'Avengers: Infinity War' (11.21 million). The film has narrowed the gap with fifth-place 'Avengers: Infinity War' to just over 200,000 admissions and is on the verge of entering the top five.

The film follows the perilous journey home of Odysseus, played by 'Matt Damon', after he leads Greek forces to victory in the Trojan War. Based on Homer's immortal epic, the film has drawn praise for bringing the grandeur of ancient Greek mythology to the screen, having been shot entirely with 'IMAX' film cameras.

'The Odyssey' has maintained its relentless box office momentum since opening on the fifth of last month, becoming the year's second film to surpass 10 million admissions after 'The Man Who Lives With the King'. It had held the top spot at the daily box office for 42 consecutive days before briefly surrendering the lead to 'The Intern', starring Choi Min-sik, which opened on March 16.

Advance-booking figures, however, continue to demonstrate 'The Odyssey''s staying power. As of 12:30 p.m. on March 18, it reclaimed the lead with more than 127,000 advance bookings and a 21.6% share. That easily surpassed the figures for 'The Assassin(s)' (17.2%), opening March 23, and competing film 'The Intern' (15.1%), suggesting that the film's long-running box office campaign, powered by strong late momentum, will continue for the time being.