The Odyssey Extends Korean Box-Office Reign to 40 Days as Son Ye-jin’s The Scandal Sets Netflix Premiere
Christopher Nolan’s epic has reached 10.78 million admissions after six consecutive weekends at No. 1 in South Korea, while Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and Nana lead Netflix’s Joseon-era drama The Scandal, arriving globally on September 18.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey dominating the South Korean box office alongside Netflix’s The Scandal starring Son Ye-jin
Table of Contents (17 sections)
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has extended its remarkable run in South Korea, remaining the country’s No. 1 film for a 40th consecutive day as its cumulative audience climbed to approximately 10.78 million.
The Hollywood epic drew another 449,000 admissions between September 11 and 13 and accounted for 51.5% of all tickets sold during the weekend, according to Korean Film Council data reported by Yonhap News Agency. It has now led the weekend box-office chart for six consecutive weeks.
The theatrical milestone comes during another busy period for Korean entertainment more broadly. On the streaming side, Netflix is preparing to launch The Scandal on September 18, bringing together Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and Nana in a Joseon-era reinterpretation of Dangerous Liaisons.
Korean television is also producing several notable ratings performers, with KBS2’s Love on the Menu continuing to lead among terrestrial dramas, tvN’s strengthening its cable performance and SBS maintaining interest around .
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Four Hands, Two Sonatas
Flex x Cop 2
Key Takeaways
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey completed its 40th consecutive day at No. 1 at the South Korean box office on September 13.
The film has attracted approximately 10.78 million admissions, making it the seventh most-watched foreign film in South Korean box-office history at this stage.
The Odyssey accounted for 51.5% of weekend ticket sales from September 11–13 and remained No. 1 for a sixth consecutive weekend.
Netflix’s The Scandal premieres globally on September 18, starring Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and Nana.
The historical romance is directed by Jung Ji-woo and reimagines Dangerous Liaisons through a Joseon-era setting.
Korean television also remains competitive, with Love on the Menu, Four Hands, Two Sonatas and Flex x Cop 2 posting notable ratings during the latest weekend.
The Odyssey Reaches 40 Consecutive Days at No. 1
The Odyssey opened in South Korea on August 5 and has held first place at the daily box office for 40 consecutive days through September 13.
Its latest weekend added approximately 449,000 admissions, taking the running total to 10.78 million. That makes Nolan’s film the seventh most-watched foreign release in South Korean box-office history, according to Yonhap.
The film had already crossed the important 10-million-admission threshold on September 6, its 33rd day in Korean cinemas.
It became the second film released in South Korea this year to reach 10 million admissions and the 10th foreign film ever to pass that mark in the country.
That milestone alone would have represented a major commercial result. Remaining at No. 1 for another full week after crossing it demonstrates the extent of the film’s staying power.
Six Straight Weekends on Top
The Odyssey has not only dominated individual days.
It has now led South Korea’s weekend box-office chart for six consecutive weekends.
During the September 11–13 frame, the film accounted for 51.5% of all ticket sales. Its 449,000 admissions were comfortably ahead of the weekend’s second-place title, Hollywood horror film Obsession, which attracted approximately 176,000 viewers.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day ranked third with approximately 84,000 weekend admissions, taking its cumulative South Korean audience to 8.93 million.
The Drama, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, followed in fourth place, while Korean film Road to Gyeong-ju completed the top five.
The gap between The Odyssey and its competitors is notable considering the Nolan film has already been in cinemas for more than five weeks.
South Korea Has Become a Major Market for The Odyssey
The Odyssey’s Korean run developed rapidly after release.
It opened at No. 1 on its first weekend, collecting more than 1.33 million admissions between Friday and Sunday and reaching approximately 1.87 million viewers by the end of that frame.
By August 21, admissions had passed six million.
Two days later, the film moved beyond seven million. By August 31, it had reached 8.86 million and become the most-watched foreign film released in South Korea during 2026.
The 10-million milestone followed on September 6.
Its latest 10.78-million total means the film added roughly three-quarters of a million additional viewers in the week after entering the 10-million club.
What The Odyssey Is About
Christopher Nolan’s film adapts Homer’s ancient Greek epic about Odysseus and his long journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
Matt Damon plays Odysseus, with a large ensemble that includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron and Zendaya.
The South Korean performance is part of a much broader international success story for the film, but admissions provide a particularly useful measure in Korea because the domestic box-office system closely tracks the number of cinema tickets sold.
For now, its Korean theatrical run remains active, meaning the 10.78-million figure is not a final total.
The Scandal Arrives on Netflix September 18
While The Odyssey continues to command Korean cinemas, one of September’s most anticipated Korean streaming releases is preparing for its global debut.
Netflix has confirmed that The Scandal will premiere worldwide on September 18.
Son Ye-jin stars as Lady Cho, Ji Chang-wook plays Cho Won and Nana portrays Hui-yeon. Director Jung Ji-woo, whose previous films include Eungyo and Tune in for Love, directs the series.
Netflix describes the drama as a dangerous game involving desire, manipulation and social restrictions in Joseon-era Korea.
The platform is releasing all episodes simultaneously rather than following a weekly rollout.
Son Ye-jin Plays Lady Cho
At the centre of The Scandal is Lady Cho, portrayed by Son Ye-jin.
Netflix describes her as a woman whose intelligence and capabilities far exceed the restrictive role society expects her to occupy.
She initiates a wager with Cho Won, setting in motion the relationship game that drives the series.
Ji Chang-wook’s Cho Won is presented as a notorious playboy of the Joseon period, while Nana’s Hui-yeon is a young widow who becomes drawn into the pair’s scheme.
The story gradually turns what begins as a calculated game into a more dangerous emotional conflict among the three central characters.
A New Korean Interpretation of Dangerous Liaisons
The Scandal draws from Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 French novel Dangerous Liaisons.
It also has a direct connection to Korean cinema.
The new Netflix series reimagines the material previously adapted into the 2003 Korean film Untold Scandal, which starred Bae Yong-joon, Jeon Do-yeon and Lee Mi-sook. That film similarly transferred the French story of seduction and manipulation into Korea’s Joseon period.
The Netflix version therefore functions as a new adaptation rather than simply continuing the earlier movie.
Its trailers emphasise elaborate period production, high-society settings and the escalating psychological consequences of the central wager.
The Scandal Strengthens September’s K-Drama Calendar
The September 18 launch places The Scandal within a particularly active period for Korean television and streaming.
Several series are already competing for audiences.
KBS2’s Love on the Menu remained the highest-rated terrestrial drama in Nielsen Korea’s metropolitan-area weekly rankings for September 7–13, averaging 15.9%.
The series follows characters rebuilding fractured family relationships and is currently airing on weekends. KBS World lists it as part of the network’s continuing drama schedule.
Its performance reinforces the continued strength of traditional weekend family dramas on Korean television.
Four Hands, Two Sonatas Builds Momentum
tvN’s Four Hands, Two Sonatas also recorded an important ratings increase.
Its September 13 broadcast reached a 7.318% nationwide household rating among paid-platform households, according to Nielsen Korea, making it the top-rated cable programme of the day.
The series stars Song Kang, Lee Jun-young and Jang Gyu-ri and is set around young musicians studying at an elite arts high school.
Netflix describes the drama as the story of two talented pianists from different backgrounds whose lives become increasingly connected through music, rivalry and personal relationships.
The show premiered on August 29 and is continuing with new weekend episodes.
Its rise above 7% represents a significant result in the cable-TV environment, where ratings are measured differently from nationwide terrestrial broadcasts.
Flex x Cop 2 Remains Competitive
SBS’s Flex x Cop 2 is also continuing its second-season run.
The September 12 episode recorded a 7.2% nationwide household rating, according to Nielsen Korea.
The season again centres on Ahn Bo-hyun’s Jin Yi-soo, whose unusual combination of wealth and police work forms the foundation of the series.
Recent episodes have moved into a more serious storyline involving Jin Yi-soo becoming a murder suspect following the death of a friend, according to SBS promotional material.
As with all episodic drama coverage, promotional summaries describe the fictional storyline and should not be confused with real-world events.
A Bona Fide Killer Ends on a High
One of September’s strongest recent terrestrial dramas has also just completed its run.
MBC’s A Bona Fide Killer reached 10.7% nationwide for its September 12 finale, according to Nielsen-based ratings reporting, marking its strongest result.
Its conclusion means it should no longer be grouped with dramas that are still airing, but its performance remains relevant to the current ratings picture.
During the September 7–13 week, the series averaged 10.2% in Nielsen Korea’s Seoul metropolitan household rankings, placing it among the week’s leading terrestrial programmes.
Ratings Need to Be Compared Carefully
Korean television ratings require some context.
Terrestrial networks such as KBS, MBC and SBS are measured across standard broadcast households, while cable figures can be reported among paid-platform households.
That means a 7.3% cable rating should not automatically be treated as weaker than a 7.3% terrestrial figure without considering the different measurement bases.
Nielsen Korea’s September 13 cable ranking, for example, lists Four Hands, Two Sonatas at 7.318% nationwide among paid-platform households.
The latest numbers are therefore most useful for understanding each programme’s position within its own broadcast environment rather than creating simplistic cross-network comparisons.
Cinema and Streaming Tell Two Different K-Content Stories
The latest Korean entertainment picture is notable because its biggest cinema story is currently an imported Hollywood production, while streaming attention is moving toward a major domestically produced historical drama.
The Odyssey’s 40-day reign demonstrates the ability of an international event film to achieve exceptional longevity in the South Korean theatrical market.
The Scandal represents a different part of the industry: Korean talent, Korean period production and a global Netflix launch designed to reach viewers simultaneously across multiple territories.
Meanwhile, domestic broadcasters and cable networks continue competing with established weekly dramas.
Together, those developments show how Korean audiences increasingly move between cinema, traditional television and global streaming services rather than consuming entertainment through a single platform.
What Happens Next
For The Odyssey, the immediate question is how much longer it can maintain first place.
The film has already held the position for 40 consecutive days and six weekends, but new theatrical releases will continue to challenge its screen share.
Its cumulative audience is also still rising beyond 10.78 million.
For The Scandal, attention turns to September 18, when Netflix will release the series globally.
The drama’s star combination of Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and Nana, together with a recognised literary source and Joseon-period setting, gives it a high-profile position in Netflix’s September Korean lineup.
Television ratings will also remain active, with Love on the Menu, Four Hands, Two Sonatas and Flex x Cop 2 continuing their runs.
Bottom Line
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey remains the dominant theatrical release in South Korea.
After opening on August 5, the film completed its 40th consecutive day at No. 1 on September 13, bringing its cumulative audience to approximately 10.78 million. It also led the weekend chart for the sixth consecutive week and accounted for more than half of all weekend ticket sales.
The Korean streaming calendar is now preparing for a major new arrival.
The Scandal, starring Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and Nana, premieres globally on Netflix on September 18. Directed by Jung Ji-woo, the series reimagines Dangerous Liaisons within Joseon high society and follows a wager that draws its three central characters into an escalating emotional conflict.
At the same time, Love on the Menu remains a strong terrestrial ratings performer, Four Hands, Two Sonatas has climbed above 7% on cable, and Flex x Cop 2 continues its second-season run.
Korean entertainment therefore enters the second half of September with activity across all three major viewing environments: cinemas, television and global streaming.
Key Takeaway
The Odyssey has held No. 1 in South Korea for 40 consecutive days and reached 10.78 million admissions.
Netflix’s The Scandal, starring Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and Nana, premieres globally on September 18.
Korean TV remains competitive with strong ratings for Love on the Menu, Four Hands, Two Sonatas and Flex x Cop 2.
A busy period across cinema, streaming and television.
The Rajatheertha Team publishes news, explainers, guides and updates across India and the world. Our coverage follows Rajatheertha's editorial, verification and corrections standards.
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