JUNGLE CRUISE Opens in 3rd, THE CURSED Film Spin-off Bows in 5th

The local industry kicked off its summer holiday season in solid fashion, despite the ongoing fourth wave of COVID infections and toughened social distancing restrictions. The business jumped up 35% week-on-week, and the local industry was able to claim a 64% majority.  A total of 1.01 million tickets were sold over the weekend, still a far cry from pre-COVID summer holiday numbers, when weekend admissions can normally go as high as five million. 

Kicking off convincingly in the first place was the highly anticipated action-thriller Escape from Mogadishu, the latest film from director Ryoo Seungwan. The film received 562,000 viewers (USD 4.93 million) over the weekend and filled a total of 788,000 seats (USD 6.53 million) over its first five days. The reaction from viewers and critics has been very strong, and the steady increase in daily numbers suggests that positive word of mouth will have an impact on the film’s fortunes in the coming days and weeks. 

Hollywood animation Boss Baby: Family Business slowed 47% during its sophomore frame, during which it sold 138,000 tickets (USD 1.11 million). After almost two weeks in theaters, the sequel has reached 642,000 spectators (USD 5.01 million).

Opening in third place was Disney’s latest film Jungle Cruise featuring Dwayne Johnson. The family adventure opened with 104,000 sales (USD 905,000) over the weekend and a total of 157,000 entries (USD 1.25 million) since its Wednesday launch.

Marvel tentpole Black Widow began to wind down as it dropped two spots and slowed 63% going into its fourth weekend, which tallied 95,000 tickets (USD 841,000). The film has accumulated 2.79 million viewers (USD 24.56 million), the highest total for a foreign film released during the pandemic.

Debuting in fifth place was the occult action-horror The Cursed: Dead Man’s Prey, a feature film spinoff of the tvN drama The Cursed. The film brought in 66,000 viewers (USD 550,000) over the weekend, with 121,000 seats (USD 899,000) over its first five days.

While Escape from Mogadishu will attempt to repeat at the top of the charts, it will have its work cut out for it with the opening of The Suicide Squad, the latest film in the DC Comics franchise.