As director Christopher Nolan's film "Odyssey" draws crowds, sales of books related to the original ancient Greek epic "The Odyssey" are also surging. Interest in the film is leading to reading the source material, fueling an "Odyssey" boom in bookstores.
According to Kyobo Book Centre on the 10th, sales in July of books with related titles such as "Odyssey" and "The Odyssey" jumped 595.5% from the same month last year. It appears many more readers sought out the original and related books ahead of the film's release.
Sales of related books have steadily increased this year. In April, they rose 87.5% year over year, 194.0% in May, and 291.7% in June, with the pace of growth widening. In July, ahead of the film's release, the growth rate spiked to 595.5%.
Demand did not cluster around a single translation. Various formats sold together, including complete translations of the original text, beginner-friendly guides and commentaries, and comics.
The film "Odyssey" opened in Korea on the 5th. It surpassed 1 million cumulative admissions on the 8th, four days after release, and topped 2 million on the morning of the 10th. It has maintained No. 1 at the box office since opening, extending its momentum.
"Odyssey" is based on the epic "The Odyssey" by the ancient Greek poet Homer. As the film's popularity continues, even the classic written about 2,800 years ago is drawing readers' attention again.
In publishing, the view is that the box-office success of video content such as films or drama has produced the so-called "screenseller" effect, in which sales of the original books increase.