Strong Debut for Local Low-Budget Title ONE WAY TRIP
Business jumped 50% over last week at the Korean box office as Warner Bros’ superhero behemoth Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice entered the global marketplace. The blockbuster helped Hollywood secure a lion’s share of the marketplace, clinching 88% of the 1.72 million tickets sold over the weekend.
Though only a small fraction of its USD 424 million global launch, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had a strong entry in the Korean market, posting 1.15 million admissions (USD 8.45 million) over the three-day weekend and 1.39 million viewers (USD 10.12 million) since its Thursday launch. Though audience scores have been positive, a big drop in reservations and a smaller debut indicate that the film is unlikely to rival the success of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the reigning comic book film champ in Korea which brought it over 10 million admissions last spring.
Still hanging in there in its sixth week was Disney’s Zootopia, which dipped just 28% for another 258,312 spectators (USD 1.8 million), bringing its total to a healthy 3.18 million admissions (USD 21.16 million).
Making a positive showing in its debut was the low-budget film
One Way Trip, a
CJ Entertainment-backed title which debuted at the
Busan International Film Festival last year. The film opened with 87,531 tickets (USD 599,032) sold over the weekend and 112,143 viewers (USD 766,518) in total over its first four days. Fellow low-budget film
Spirits’ Homecoming dipped 70% for an additional 45,192 spectators (USD 303,413) in fourth place. The film has brought in a stellar 3.53 million admissions (USD 22.93 million) to date.
Swords and sandals picture Risen rose three spots and 32% in its second weekend to crack the top five. The film added 37,718 tickets (USD 231,970) for an 11-day total of 92,932 admissions (USD 564,187). Meanwhile, the new Coen Brothers’ film Hail, Caesar! had a disappointing bow with just 15,156 viewers (USD 107,771) over the weekend in eighth place, and 20,940 (USD 145,821) since its Thursday start.
While
Batman v Superman is expected to hold on to the top spot this coming weekend, US thriller
Misconduct, which features local star
LEE Byung-hun, is steadily rising up at the reservations chart.