"Odyssey" surpasses 1 million viewers in 4 days since release; viewing enthusiasm surges... Original book "Odysseia" sales increase by 595%

Director Christopher Nolan’s film ″Odyssey″ has been receiving high attention from both audiences and bookstores since its release. As the success of the movie ″Odyssey″ continues, sales of the original ancient Greek epic ″Odyssey″ have also significantly increased. According to Kyobo Bookstore, sales of books related to the Odyssey in July rose by 595.5% compared to the same month last year, and related books ranked high on bestseller lists at major bookstores such as Yes24 and Aladin. Notable editions gaining attention include the ″Odyssey″ published by Hyundai Intelligence and the complete translation ″Odysseia″ by Professor Kim Heon from Eulyoo Publishing, with various formats such as introductory books, commentaries, and comics also gaining popularity. Related programs have been organized in movie theaters as well. CGV has launched a book club program reading Homer’s ″Odyssey,″ while Megabox has prepared a cine docent program that explores Greek and Roman mythology alongside Western art works. Meanwhile, the film ″Odyssey″ has held the number one spot at the box office for five consecutive days, and as of 6:04 a.m. on the sixth day after its release, the cumulative audience surpassed 2 million, according to the Korea Film Council’s integrated ticketing system. Along with its success, ticket scalping has continued in some screening venues, including CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall IMAX seats. Tickets priced at 20,000 won have been traded for over 100,000 won around the release date, though recently listings priced between 30,000 and 50,000 won have appeared. On secondhand trading platforms, posts selling Yongsan IMAX tickets are still easily found. Scalping prices vary depending on seat location, with prime central seats selling out immediately upon reservation opening. ″Odyssey″ was filmed entirely with IMAX film cameras, and demand is concentrated at Yongsan IMAX, where the 1.43:1 aspect ratio can be fully experienced. Competition for reservations was fierce even before the release, and central seats during popular times sold out quickly. There are also concerns about the difficulty of directly regulating ticket scalping for movies. While laws regulate illegal ticket sales in the performing arts and sports sectors, it is challenging to apply the same regulations to movie ticket resales. Accordingly, CGV monitors habitual ticket resales and illegal transactions, taking measures such as restricting user IDs, forced withdrawal, and canceling reservations if resellers are identified.