[Edaily Starin Reporter Choi Hee-jae ] As director Christopher Nolan’s new film “The Martian” continues its box office dominance, surpassing 9 million viewers on the 31st, the movie “Troy,” released 22 years ago, is also drawing renewed attention. The success of “The Martian” appears to extend beyond the theater, leading to increased interest in related works and the director’s previous films.

According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network, the total number of purchases of the movie “Troy” (2004) on major IPTV services (SK Btv, LG U+tv, Genie TV) from the 1st to the 30th of this month was 25,391. This represents a 4,323% surge compared to the previous month (574 purchases). In this month’s IPTV purchase rankings, “Troy” ranked seventh, following “The Outlaws” (105,890 purchases) and “The Man Who Lives with the King” (52,599 purchases).
At the heart of this resurgence is undoubtedly the unstoppable box office success of *The Odyssey*. *The Odyssey* depicts the journey of Odysseus (played by Matt Damon), the hero who led the 10-year Trojan War to victory, as he sets out to return to his wife Penelope (played by Anne Hathaway) and his son Telemachus (played by Tom Holland). “Troy” is a film that centers on the Trojan War, with Brad Pitt playing Achilles and Sean Bean playing Odysseus.

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Given that the film “Troy,” which focused squarely on the Trojan War itself, is narratively and chronologically linked to “The Odyssey,” it is believed that viewers who watched “The Odyssey” are now seeking out “Troy,” which covers the preceding story. As viewers seek out the original works, prequels, and other content related to these films, the scope of content consumption is expanding beyond movie theaters.
Director Nolan’s previous works are also showing a similar trend. This month’s IPTV purchases of *Oppenheimer* totaled 40,611, a 1,506% increase from the previous month’s 287. This indicates that interest is extending beyond the film itself to the director’s previous works and other productions that share the same universe or historical background, thereby driving additional content consumption.
The film industry is taking note of how the box office success of *Odyssey* is creating a virtuous cycle that extends beyond a one-time increase in theater revenue to drive consumption of follow-up and related content on IPTV and OTT platforms. This is because a film’s success at the box office does not end with ticket sales but can stimulate consumption in the follow-up content market, including IPTV and online platforms. In particular, the fact that films released long ago are being consumed again thanks to a new hit suggests the possibility that the lifespan of content can extend beyond its theatrical run.
A film industry insider stated, “A single new film is not ending as a mere one-time consumption event but is leading to a virtuous cycle—spurring the rediscovery of classic content and promoting content consumption across all platforms,” adding, “It remains to be seen how long the ‘Nolan effect’ will last.”
According to distributor Universal Pictures, “The Odyssey” surpassed 9 million cumulative viewers around 6:10 p.m. on the 31st and is approaching the 10-million mark.