# Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey passes Avatar: The Way of Water as Korea's biggest foreign film ever, at $101.5 million

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/entertainment/christopher-nolans-the-odyssey-passes-avatar-the-way-of-water-as-koreas-biggest)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 11 Oct 2026
Updated: 11 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 11 Oct 2026

> Twelve million tickets, a quarter of South Korea's population, and seven straight weekends at No. 1. Only two Korean films have earned more there.

**Christopher Nolan's *The Odyssey* is now the highest-grossing international film in South Korean box office history**, overtaking James Cameron's *Avatar: The Way of Water* with **KRW 139.2 billion (about $101.5 million)** as of **Sunday 11 October 2026**, [Variety reported](https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/odyssey-passes-avatar-korea-top-international-film-ever-1236908100/). In rupees, that is roughly **Rs 28 billion** at today's [dollar rate](/data/usd-pkr). The Universal release is also the biggest Hollywood film ever in Korea, measured in local currency.

## The records

- **Admissions:** **12 million**, equal to about **24% of South Korea's population**. No other foreign film has passed 10 million there this year.
- **Only two Korean films have earned more:** this year's *The King's Warden* (KRW 153.2 billion) and the 2019 comedy *Extreme Job* (KRW 139.6 billion), which *The Odyssey* is now within a whisker of.
- **Seven straight weekends at No. 1**, the longest run for a foreign title in Korea.
- **10 million admissions in 33 days**, faster than any non-franchise foreign film, and the first August release of any kind to get there.
- **Imax:** more admissions on Imax and Dolby screens than any film released in Korea, with Imax shows sold out for five weeks in a row.

It makes Nolan the first director with **two non-franchise foreign films above 10 million admissions** in Korea; the other is *Interstellar*.

## Why Korea matters

South Korea is one of the world's biggest cinema markets outside the US and China, and Koreans go to the cinema more often per head than almost anyone. When a Hollywood film breaks records there, it usually means strong word of mouth rather than a big opening alone: *The Odyssey* is in its tenth week on Imax screens and still selling.

## What it is

*The Odyssey* is Nolan's adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic about Odysseus's ten-year journey home after the Trojan War, shot entirely on Imax film cameras. It is his first film since *Oppenheimer*, which won seven Oscars including best picture and best director in 2024.

## Watching it in Pakistan

Cinema listings in Pakistan change week to week, so check your local cinema's site or app for shows in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. For more on what is playing and streaming, see our [entertainment desk](/news/entertainment), including the latest on the Pakistani film [Wakhri's international release](/news/entertainment/pakistani-film-wakhri-opens-in-france-uk-australia-and-brazil-this-autumn).

## Frequently asked questions

**How much has The Odyssey made in Korea?**

KRW 139.2 billion, about $101.5 million, as of 11 October 2026, from 12 million admissions, Variety reported.

## Sources

- Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Overtakes 'Avatar: The Way of Water' as Korea's Biggest International Film of All Time (Variety): https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/odyssey-passes-avatar-korea-top-international-film-ever-1236908100/

How to cite: "Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey passes Avatar: The Way of Water as Korea's biggest foreign film ever, at $101.5 million", Searchable, 11 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/entertainment/christopher-nolans-the-odyssey-passes-avatar-the-way-of-water-as-koreas-biggest