[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] Director Christopher Nolan’s film “The Martian” continues its long-running box office success, maintaining the top spot even after surpassing 10 million viewers. Unlike “The Man Who Lives with the King”—this year’s first film to reach 10 million viewers, which saw a rapid surge in attendance after breaking that milestone—“The Martian” is charting a gradual yet sustained box office trajectory, driven by special screenings and repeat viewings.

According to the Integrated Movie Ticket System on the 9th, *The Odyssey* took the top spot at the box office after drawing 76,685 viewers the previous day. Its cumulative audience count stands at 10,192,029. Although it has entered its sixth week since its release on the 5th of last month, it continues to hold the top spot. As of the morning of the 9th, advance ticket sales had surpassed 210,000, showing a significant lead over the second-place film.

◇ Different Box Office Trajectories After Reaching 10 Million… “The Man Who Lives with the King” Accelerates, “The Odyssey” Grows Steadily
“The Odyssey” surpassed 10 million viewers on the 6th, 33 days after its release. This is two days later than “The Man Who Lives with the King” (16.92 million), the first film this year to reach 10 million, which hit that milestone on its 31st day in theaters.
The trends following the 10-million milestone show a more significant difference. “The Man Who Lives with the King” surpassed 11 million viewers just two days after reaching 10 million. At that time, it drew more than 750,000 viewers in a single day, accelerating its box office momentum, and had already recorded a cumulative total of 11.17 million viewers by its 33rd day in theaters.
In contrast, “The Odyssey” showed a relatively gradual upward trend, reaching a cumulative total of 10.19 million two days after surpassing 10 million. However, a direct comparison is limited due to the different timings at which the two films reached the 10-million mark. “The Man Who Lives with the King” surpassed 10 million on a Friday and immediately benefited from the weekend surge, whereas “The Odyssey” crossed the 10-million mark on a Sunday and then entered the weekdays.
The patterns of their box office success also differ. While “The Man Who Lives with the King” continued to grow at a rapid pace even after surpassing 10 million, “Odyssey” has been more of a “long-runner,” maintaining the top spot on the daily box office charts through its sixth week of release. At the end of last month, it drew more than 1.05 million viewers over the weekend of its fourth week alone, becoming the first foreign film to top the weekend box office for four consecutive weeks.
“The Odyssey” is the 35th film in history to reach the 10 million mark and the 10th foreign film to do so. It is the first foreign film to reach the 10 million mark in four years since “Avatar: The Way of Water” in 2022. Compared to director Nolan’s previous film, “Interstellar,” which took 50 days to reach 10 million viewers, “The Odyssey” achieved this milestone 17 days faster.
Attention now turns to the final box office tally. “The Odyssey”’s next targets are “Parasite” (10.31 million), “Frozen” (10.32 million), and “Interstellar” (10.38 million). If the current trend continues, it is highly likely to surpass director Nolan’s previous film and climb one spot higher in the all-time foreign film box office rankings.

◇Immersive Viewing Experience and the Power of a Classic Pay Off
“The Martian” continues its exceptional long-term box office run, maintaining the No. 1 spot even in its sixth week of release. Unlike the typical blockbuster formula—which involves attracting a large audience in a short period before attendance drops sharply—the film has consistently drawn audiences to theaters since its release, extending its box office lifespan.
The “theatrical experience” is undoubtedly cited as the key factor behind *The Martian*’s long-running success. Analysts note that in an era where movies can be easily watched at home via Over-the-Top (OTT) services, the film itself has created a compelling reason for audiences to make the trip to the theater.
Director Christopher Nolan has always prioritized live-action filming to bring massive scale to the screen. Through live-action filming and locations spanning the globe, *The Odyssey* allows audiences to experience vast landscapes, battle scenes, and overwhelming scale on the big screen.
In particular, the strategy of filming the entire movie with IMAX cameras—a first in cinematic history—to maximize the on-screen aesthetic is credited with paying off. The craze for special-format screenings, including not only IMAX but also 4D and Dolby Cinema, drove the film’s overall box office success. As of the 7th, IMAX attendance alone surpassed 1.15 million (11.4%), and the combined share of special-format screenings—including 4D (3.4%) and Dolby Cinema (2.8%)—reached approximately 18%. These figures demonstrate that the film has established itself as “experiential content” that must be experienced in theaters, going beyond a simple movie-watching experience.
The film’s success was also driven by its modern reinterpretation of a classic narrative that transcends generations. By combining the heroic narrative based on the ancient Greek myth “The Odyssey” with director Nolan’s signature scale and direction, the film succeeded in appealing to audiences across all generations—from middle-aged and older viewers to the MZ generation. Analysts note that, unlike franchise films that rely solely on specific generations or fan bases, this film secured a broad audience by drawing on a story that serves as a common ground across generations.
Film critic Jeong Ji-wook commented, “The fact that *The Odyssey* surpassed 10 million viewers is an important signal for the theater industry,” adding, “It is highly significant in that it provided an opportunity for audiences to return to theaters in the OTT era and reinforced the perception that movies are best experienced on the big screen.” He continued, “*The Odyssey* is an example of a film that maximized the unique strengths of theaters—such as the big screen and special screening rooms—to convince audiences of the value of the theater experience,” and emphasized, “Ultimately, to bring audiences back to theaters, there must be a steady stream of high-quality films that give viewers a compelling reason to watch them on the big screen.”