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"The Odyssey" is aiming to surpass 7 million admissions this weekend. / Courtesy of Universal Pictures

"The Odyssey" is aiming this weekend for a milestone widely seen as putting it 70% of the way toward the coveted 10-million-admissions mark.

According to the Korean Film Council's Integrated Computer Network on the 21st, "The Odyssey" drew 188,669 moviegoers the previous day, holding the top spot on the daily box office chart for a 16th straight day and pushing its cumulative admissions to 5,788,185 since its August 5 release.

By cumulative admissions alone, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," at 7,740,873, is closer to the "dream milestone" of 10 million. But looking at advance booking rates — a key indicator for projecting future performance — the picture shifts. As of the morning of the 21st, "The Odyssey" holds a commanding lead in real-time advance bookings at 76.2% (756,959 bookings), while "Spider-Man..." trails at 11.4% (118,549 bookings) in second place.

Based on past patterns, films that maintain a high advance booking rate of 60-70% even weeks after release tend to see their actual weekend attendance run at two to three times the weekday booking figures. This is why, with advance bookings for "The Odyssey" actually rising in its third week rather than falling, industry watchers project it could surpass 7 million admissions as early as the 23rd, its 19th day in theaters, barring any major surprise.

A theater industry official noted that compared to "The Man Who Lives with the King," which took 24 days to surpass 7 million admissions, "The Odyssey" is drawing crowds at a considerably faster pace, adding that the film is even pulling in moviegoers in their 50s and older who don't typically visit theaters often — suggesting it's highly likely to give director Christopher Nolan his second-ever 10-million-admission hit in Korea, following 2014's "Interstellar" (10.38 million admissions).

"The Odyssey," Nolan's screen adaptation of Homer's epic of the same name, follows Trojan War hero Odysseus (Matt Damon) through his adventures and inner reflection during his 20-year journey home. It has grossed $1.3 billion (about 1.8337 trillion won) worldwide, including in Korea and the U.S.

                                                                                                         Cho Seong-jun