Matt Damon and Charlize Theron continued the international promotional campaign for The Odyssey in South Korea.
The actors joined Nolan and producer Emma Thomas for a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul on August 3, two days before the film’s South Korean release.
The appearance followed a promotional stop in Beijing, where Damon and Theron surprised Nolan with a cake during a July 30 photocall celebrating the director’s 56th birthday.
As of August 2, The Odyssey had earned an estimated $911.4 million worldwide after three weekends in theaters.
Nolan Used His First Korean Visit to Champion Movie Theaters
The Seoul engagement marked Nolan’s first official promotional visit to South Korea, a market that has been particularly supportive of films including Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet and Oppenheimer. “I’ve wanted to come to Korea for a very long time,” Nolan said during the press conference, according to The Korea Times.
He described theatrical moviegoing as an experience that remains both personal and collective, arguing that a large screen and a shared audience offer something other forms of entertainment cannot reproduce. “The way the camera tells you the story is something other mediums can’t provide,” Nolan said. “I think it’s an experience only theaters, only films, can offer.”
Damon and Theron Reflected on Their Roles
Damon plays Odysseus, the Greek king attempting to return to Ithaca after the Trojan War. He called filming the entire production with IMAX cameras a “tremendous undertaking” that created strong bonds among the cast and crew.
“There were hundreds of crew members working with us, people who’ve given their lives to making movies,” Damon said. “It was an honor to work with a crew like that.”
Theron portrays Calypso, the sea nymph who detains Odysseus on her island. She said audiences may reach very different conclusions about whether her character should be viewed as a villain or a tragic figure. “Hearing those different reactions is exciting for me,” Theron said.
‘The Odyssey’ Reached $911 Million After Three Weekends
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The total included approximately $395.5 million from North America and $515.9 million from international markets. The film added $51 million domestically during its third weekend, a decline of only 43% from the previous frame.
That result placed it behind the record-breaking debut of Spider-Man: Brand New Day but demonstrated that Nolan’s film continued attracting substantial audiences despite the arrival of another major release.
‘Spider-Man’ Helped Produce a Record Domestic Weekend
Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened with an estimated $355 million in North America, falling only about $2 million short of the opening-weekend record set by Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Combined with The Odyssey and the remaining theatrical releases, the superhero film helped generate approximately $429 million in domestic ticket sales.
That surpassed the roughly $402 million collected during the weekend when Avengers: Endgame opened, making the first weekend of August 2026 the highest-grossing collective weekend in North American box-office history.
Variety’s box-office report credited the continued strength of The Odyssey alongside the enormous Spider-Man launch with giving theaters their record total. Tom Holland and Zendaya appear in both movies. They lead the marketing for Brand New Day, while The Odyssey places them within Nolan’s larger ensemble as Telemachus and Athena.
Three Major Asian Markets Remain Ahead
The Odyssey opens in South Korea on August 5, followed by China on August 14 and Japan on September 11. Damon’s Seoul appearance was his first official promotional trip to the country since Jason Bourne in 2016. The visit was Theron and Thomas’ first official Korean press engagement.
Despite its rapid climb, The Odyssey had not yet surpassed Oppenheimer, which finished its theatrical run with approximately $975.8 million worldwide. Nolan’s highest-grossing movie remains The Dark Knight Rises, with approximately $1.085 billion globally. The Odyssey would need about $173.5 million beyond its August 2 total to move ahead of that film.