[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] Director Christopher Nolan’s “The Martian” has surpassed 6 million viewers just 17 days after its release. Even as the summer peak season draws to a close and a wave of new releases continues, the film’s box office momentum shows no signs of slowing down, raising expectations that it will reach the 10-million-viewer milestone.

According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network on the 21st, “The Martian” surpassed 6 million cumulative viewers as of approximately 3:08 p.m. that day. This milestone was reached just 17 days after its release on the 5th.
In terms of box office momentum alone, it is outpacing even recent 10-million-viewer films. It surpassed the 6-million mark faster than *The Man Who Shared the King’s Life*, which reached that milestone on its 20th day, and *Spring in Seoul*, which did so on its 18th day. Notably, it reached the 6-million mark in just 17 days—the same timeframe as *Interstellar*, director Nolan’s highest-grossing film in Korea and a 10-million-viewer hit.
It has also climbed one spot in this year’s box office rankings. *The Odyssey* surpassed the cumulative audience count of *The Swarm* to claim the No. 3 spot on the 2026 domestic box office chart. By steadily attracting audiences even in its third week of release, it has officially entered the race for this year’s top-grossing films.
What’s noteworthy is that its strong initial momentum is translating into long-term box office success. “The Odyssey” continues to hold the top spot in overall ticket pre-sales even in its third week of release, with pre-sales exceeding 750,000 tickets. Considering that summer vacation and the holiday season are winding down and new releases are hitting theaters one after another, this demonstrates exceptionally strong staying power.
Enthusiasm for special screenings is also driving the film’s success. In particular, the IMAX theater at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall—where audiences can view the footage, shot by Director Nolan on full IMAX 70mm film in a 1.43:1 aspect ratio—has seen a steady stream of “ticket scalping” as even additional tickets sell out rapidly. Analysts suggest that a structure conducive to long-term box office success has been established, as audiences are returning to watch the film again in special theaters like IMAX, beyond standard screenings.
Another strength is that the audience is not skewed toward any specific generation. CGV’s age-based ticket sales data shows a relatively even distribution across audiences in their 20s through 50s. The film’s appeal has broadened as it has drawn not only Nolan’s fanbase and young audiences who prefer large screens but also middle-aged and older viewers.
To mark the milestone of surpassing 6 million admissions, lead actor Matt Damon also expressed his gratitude to Korean audiences. In a released video, he mentioned that *The Odyssey* had set the all-time highest opening record in Korea among Director Nolan’s films, stating, “The support, passion, and affection shown by Korean audiences all mean a great deal to me. I sincerely thank you.”
“The Odyssey” depicts the journey of Odysseus (played by Matt Damon), the hero who led the Trojan War to victory after a decade-long conflict, as he sets out to return to his wife Penelope (played by Anne Hathaway) and his son Telemachus (played by Tom Holland). The film stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya Coleman, and Charlize Theron.